Organisational Culture in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

74. For new entrants, Wholetime personnel attend a three month training course at a SFRS training centre. Following graduation from this course, trainees then go into a ‘development phase’, where they are given three further assessments. Due to recent increased intakes of trainees, there are challenges in supporting and assessing their development phase which is proving resource intensive in some areas. We encountered trainees who had completed their development plans but could not be signed off as being competent firefighters, due to a lack of assessors and verifiers nationally to approve these plans. The assessor to candidate ratio is approximately 1:7 and the Service has an aspiration to move to a ratio of 1:5. The Service is aware of this issue and is actively working to improve this.

75. During our fieldwork we spoke to a sample of training instructors at various SFRS locations to ask them how they saw their role in promoting a positive culture within the SFRS. Of the instructors we spoke to, they overwhelmingly saw their roles as one of ensuring that training was delivered within a positive learning environment, where trainees were supported in their development and that they are able to remedy any gaps in their learning without being ridiculed for having to do so. We see this as a welcome development, as we have commented in previous reports of examples of personnel encountering what they saw as an intimidating culture adopted by some instructing staff. However, from our discussion with non-instructional staff there may be continuing isolated pockets of negative behaviours. This may be explored in more detail in a future inspection. Instructors also stated that they would underline and demonstrate the Service values during their interactions with trainees. The instructors also told us that they would challenge what they saw as inappropriate behaviour being demonstrated.

76. Initial training for an On-Call firefighter is to attend a two-week ‘task and task management’ course, followed by a further two weeks of breathing apparatus related training at a later date, these two courses may be delivered at different training locations. This represents a significant commitment by individuals and primary employers which can act as a barrier to individuals being willing to join the SFRS. We have previously commented, and made recommendations, regarding this training and its delivery in our 2020 report⁽⁶⁾ ‘The Training of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Retained Duty System Personnel’.

77. We reviewed the course material and observed delivery of part of the session covering the equality and diversity input to new entrants. We also spoke to instructors to get an understanding of the delivery of the subject of culture and the Service’s values. We felt that the delivery of the content was positive and resonated well.

78. HMFSI has announced plans to undertake a future inspection of operational training and development and relevant findings will be explored further where appropriate.

79. The Service commenced a pilot project of a non-mandatory development pathway for staff in December 2022. The project focuses on enhancing the leadership and management skills of participants at a supervisory and middle management level. When we undertook our inspection of the East Service Delivery Area⁽⁷⁾ in 2022 we said that we looked forward to seeing an evaluation of the project in due course. To date, a full evaluation of the pilot had still not been undertaken, which we find disappointing, although feedback from participants has been sought. The volume of staff who have participated in the programme is very low when compared to eligible supervisory staff. We are aware of the challenges and cost implications involved in releasing staff from their day job to attend a development course. There are plans to further develop the pathway to include a day 2 and day 3 input covering operational aspects of the role, rather than people management skills, these elements are still in the design phase. Before the pilot commenced there had been little to no development opportunities given to aspiring or current SFRS managers. For many we spoke to, it was stated that management and leadership development was learned by observing others. We feel this is an important omission. If managers are not given the training and tools with which to properly manage the workforce then there should be no surprise when policies have not been adhered to, or are applied inconsistently. Further, as we noted in our inspection report Mental Health and Wellbeing Support in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service⁽⁸⁾, transition into promoted posts and a failure to prepare personnel for these changes can have a significant and adverse impact upon the mental health of individuals. From our interviews, individuals were clearly ‘hungry’ for any form of management and leadership training. There is a willingness from both operational and support managers from across the Service to participate in these development programmes when they are available.

Recommendation 6

We recommend that the Service conclude and evaluate its internal management development pathway pilot.

80. The SFRS has placed a limited number of officers on the NFCC Middle Managers Leadership programme. The NFCC also has in place a Supervisory Leadership Development Pathway that would be accessible at a similar cost per candidate to the middle managers leadership programme, and which would allow the current deficit to be addressed in a meaningful timescale. It was reported to us the NFCC pathways do not fully deliver all of the development needs that the SFRS would seek for their personnel; however, it is our view that the limited resources of the Talent Development Team may be better suited to designing and delivering the more limited number of training modules that they and the Service consider necessary for a range of management topics to be delivered.

Recommendation 7

We recommend that the SFRS should explore the option to make use of the current NFCC Supervisory and Middle Manager development pathways as a more efficient and effective means to close the leadership and management training deficit gap.

81. During our fieldwork the majority of supervisory staff and watch-based managers we spoke with advised us that there had been no, or extremely limited, development of management skills before assuming their management role. The Service has made available training for some of its managers in inclusive leadership, which aims to cultivate team inclusion. Inspectors consider that this lack of development may pose a risk to the organisation where a process is not correctly followed and may have the potential to expose the Service during any formal action. In our inspection of the West Service Delivery Area⁽⁹⁾ we made a recommendation that the Service should conduct a review of its leadership and management development processes to provide a national standard and syllabus for delivery at all levels. We are aware that a sub-group of the CDG is looking at management development.

82. Due to the perceived lack of an internal SFRS provided development product for personnel, some LSO areas were implementing their own solution to support and develop managers, some with the participation of People Directorate staff. In our West Service Delivery area report we highlighted the provision of these local initiatives as an area of good practice. We also said we believed it would be worth developing these sessions further across all areas, in support of a national syllabus and programme being produced. During our fieldwork, it was suggested that access to directorate development opportunities, to gain experience in a functional role, was constrained due to the perceived necessary daily commute to Service Headquarters in the West Service Delivery Area.