Courtesy Evening Times  

Gordon Thomson

Firefighters tell bosses of pride and passion for service

Firefighters in the Glasgow area, who put their lives on the line when they tackle blazes, say they have “the best job in the world.”

The declaration came when staff at Strathclyde Fire & Rescue were quizzed about their jobs during a detailed four-day independent review.

The service, which covers Glasgow and the surrounding area, is Britain’s second largest firefighting force and national bosses brought in the UK’s largest force – London Fire Brigade – to carry out the study.

The assessment of Strathclyde’s finest was headed by the brigade’s deputy commissioner Rita Dexter.

She and her team examined progress made by SFR under the main categories of ambition, prioritisation, capacity and performance management, as well as achievement and improvement.

Ms Dexter said that she found a “well managed and run organisation”.

She commented: “Staff express pride and passion for SFR.

“It is ‘the best job in the world’ and there is a sense of team within the organisation while the relationships with representative bodies are positive and constructive.”

She added: “At the same time the service is investing in the development of members and sees people as its key resource and invests in them.”

The review also found that the service fostered “passion and commitment”, especially among volunteer firefighter crews.

However, Ms Dexter recommended better communication with management and better ways of helping managers implement new policies.

A Strathclyde spokesman said: “We feel this is a very positive review of our service and it gives us valuable pointers for moving forward as part of the continual improvement.”