Clarity on how South Wales Fire and Rescue Service establishes a positive culture launched

A year on from the Fenella Morris KC review into the culture at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS), the service has released its revised culture statement, aligning with its ambitions and aspirations for the future.

With the communities of South Wales at its heart, the culture statement is the service’s promise to ‘[create] a safe, modern fire and rescue service in South Wales and to [ensure] everyone is treated with dignity and respect, free from discrimination, bullying, harassment and inappropriate behaviours. We make this commitment to our staff, our communities and the partners and stakeholders we work with every day’.

Preceded by an outline for new expectations around behaviours and ways of working, the statement is reinforced by pledges from senior leaders from the service, including the Welsh Government appointed Commissioners, the Senior Leadership Team, and Chief Fire Officer Fin Monahan, who joined SWFRS in November. The Chief promised to ‘ensure transparency, fairness, and a clear strategy to guide us forward’ as well as to ‘celebrate success, recognise achievements, and make sure that all voices across the organisation are heard’.

The service has been on a journey of change since the culture review was published in January 2024, which outlined 82 recommendations for improvement. As part of this cultural overhaul, the new position of Director for Change and Transformation was created within the service’s Executive Leadership Team. Dominic Mika, who is leading on Step Forward: A Programme for Transformation and Change, promised that South Wales FRS will provide a service to the public and communities which is founded on ‘operational excellence’.

Dominic commented: “The service has also been working on a review of our values, our mission and our vision for the future recently, with managers engaging 160 teams across the service for their input. This collaboration is part of a new way of working for us – with transparency and communication at the core – ensuring that every single member of the service understands the part they play, how they can get involved, and is part of the journey to arrive at an improved destination together.”

Taking the National Fire Chief’s Council’s Core Code of Ethics as the foundation for its values, the service has pledged to encourage ‘ways of working that support and inspire, embracing the principles of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and our shared ambition for the future of Wales.’

The culture statement is another step forward in the journey to reset strong foundations and great leadership for how people in South Wales Fire and Rescue Service work as one team, with care and compassion for all to protect over 1.5 million people in the communities across the region.