Fire Brigades Union (FBU) disability section

Conference is aware that the FBU currently has six sections representing Members from various walks of life, from LGBT+ to Officers section and Control to name a few. One section of the workforce that is currently not included but does have an ever increasing number of people is that of the disabled community.

Disability can be categorised into two sections, physical and mental. Approximately 14.6 million people in the UK are registered disabled, that’s 22% of the population (source Office of National Statistics). Neurodiversity makes up a large section of that figure, with statistics showing up to 15% of the UK population are Neurodiverse (Source Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder Aware), with many more being undiagnosed. That equates to 1 in 7 adults in the UK (Source Acas diversity in the workplace 2016). Using that example ratio, it may be that in a fire and rescue service that employs 1,000 personnel, at least 142 could be Neurodiverse.

It is understood that certain professions attract more neurodivergent people than others, and the fire and rescue service is one of those due to the dynamic nature of our job (Source ADDitude: Inside the ADHD Mind). It is perceived as a very hands-on job, which can attract neurodivergent people who generally may avoid jobs with lots of written tasks for example.

The current approach to disability within the fire and rescue service is very sporadic, with different fire and rescue services taking different approaches. Although, legally under the Equality Act 2010, an employer must support the employee and consider reasonable adjustments, this again is very different across different fire and rescue services. A more standardised approach is needed to help our Members who live with these conditions by supporting their welfare and development.

Conference instructs the Executive Council to explore establishing a new FBU section to represent and support Members of the FBU with disabilities.