National Fire Chiefs Council’s People Programme Launches Four New Tools To Support Fire And Rescue Services In Recruiting The Best Talent

The National Fire Chiefs Council’s (NFCC) People Programme has launched four new tools, in order to support fire and rescue services in the selection, recruitment, nurturing and growth of diverse talent.

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Hub, Recruitment Hub, Talent Management Toolkit and Coaching and Mentoring Portal are the culmination of months of hard work, by National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) project teams and colleagues from across the fire and rescue sector.

Each tool champions best practice processes, showcasing sector-endorsed guidance to provide a consistent approach at a national level. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Hub

The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Hub contains a wealth of resources, in order to help services ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion are part of everything they do. 

Designed in consultation with external professional organizations, the EDI Hub provides a range of information about different groups of people and ideas around the actions in which services could take, in order to make a positive difference to them. The EDI Hub can be found on the UKFRS website. 

The Recruitment Hub

The Recruitment Hub is a centralized resource for colleagues finding and bringing in diverse talent

The Recruitment Hub is a centralized resource for colleagues finding and bringing in diverse talent. 

Collaborative in its approach, the Recruitment Hub provides the basis for a more unified national approach to recruitment for the sector and is designed to complement a modern UK fire and rescue service. The Recruitment Hub can be found on the UKFRS website.

The Talent Management Toolkit

The Talent Management Toolkit has been developed to provide support to fire and rescue services, around the key talent management areas: attract, identify, develop, engage, retain, deploy, and evaluate.

The Talent Management Toolkit dovetails with the national Talent Management Model Policy and Talent Management Maturity Model, forming the Talent Management Framework. The Talent Management Toolkit can be found on the UKFRS website. 

The Coaching and Mentoring Portal

The Coaching and Mentoring Portal allows a continuation of learning and connects individuals with coaches and mentors from within the sector. The Coaching and Mentoring Portal can be found on the UKFRS website.

These products signify another significant leap forward by the NFCC"

Ann Millington, the People Programme Executive at the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), said “I am immensely proud of the work done by members of the People Programme, in conjunction with fire and rescue services, and the resulting four products. These products signify another significant leap forward by the NFCC, in supporting the people already working in, and those yet to join, this exciting and dynamic sector.”

focus on coaching and mentoring

UK Fire Minister, Lord Greenhalgh, stated “I am delighted to see the progress made by the NFCC to support fire and rescue professionals, through these initiatives. The People Programme, through which the Home Office is funding the development of important elements of the government’s reform agenda, aims to improve leadership and recruitment, as well as equality, diversity and inclusion in fire and rescue services.”

He adds, “The focus on coaching and mentoring is an important step toward better nurturing talent and making sure fire and rescue professionals are supported in cultivating their careers.”