Two British fire services visited their Brussels counterparts on Thursday to share their expertise and best practices in diversity and inclusion.
The firefighting profession remains predominately male. In Brussels, only 14 of the 1,200 operational firefighters are women. To address this, Norfolk and Oxfordshire fire services commenced initiatives to raise staff awareness around diversity and inclusion, aiming to make the profession more appealing to women and addressing their specific needs. In the UK, women make up 8.7% of firefighters, according to the British Home Office.
In Brussels, the selection process for a recruitment reserve has just concluded. Out of 146 candidates, 11 women were selected (from a total of 24). This could soon increase the number of women in the Brussels fire service to 25, explained Ans Persoons (the Brussels State Secretary responsible for Firefighting and Emergency Medical Assistance) during a debrief on the visit.
“We have made significant efforts to introduce more inclusivity and diversity among firefighters,” said Persoons. “Of course, genuine shifts in mentality take time. Our goal has yet to be achieved.”
“We are no longer the male-dominated environment of a decade ago,” stated Walter Derieuw, spokesperson for the Brussels fire service. “We aim to recruit more women and young people from Brussels to reflect society.”
