We acknowledge there has been some criticism of the way the Service has organised its upcoming taster days.

The criticism has largely focussed on our decision to hold separate taster days for specific groups, namely women, LGBT+ and Black and minority ethnic groups. 

As a Service we are trying very hard to address issues that may be persuading some people from these groups that a career in the fire service is not suitable for them.  

By holding taster days tailored to address issues such as this, we believe we have a much better opportunity to dispel misunderstandings and provide people with good, accurate information.

We also want to reassure people that the modern fire and rescue service can offer them a fulfilling and rewarding career. 

Taster days are not recruitment days. They are an opportunity for under-represented groups in the fire service to find out more about working as a firefighter and to encourage them to apply for future vacancies.   

Taster days are positive action, they are not recruitment sessions.   

There are no quotas.   

When we have vacancies we employ the best that apply and only those that meet the standards. 

Positive action is frequently confused with positive discrimination. 

Taster days are an example of positive action, raising awareness amongst those groups, under-represented in our workforce. 
Positive discrimination is illegal and we would not act unlawfully.

A modern day firefighter is a public service role. As well as fighting fires and responding to emergenices, they work in schools and with young people, giving talks to community groups, supporting the vulnerable and most importantly working in people’s homes to prevent incidents.   

We want to be an inclusive service that reflects the communitiy we serve. To do that we want the best people to apply regardless of their age, gender, race or lifestyle for this diverse role. 

We have provided some responses to frequently asked questions that will be helpful in understanding why we carry out positive action. 

Shropshire & Wrekin Fire Authority is seeking feedback on proposed changes to the governance arrangement of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The draft Statement of Accounts for the financial year ending 31 March 2019 can be found here. The statement is unaudited and may be subject to change. This and the Annual Governance Statement which is published as part of the Statement of Accounts will be considered for approval at the Fire Authority’s Audit & Performance Management Committee on 19 July.

How do we pay for your service?

We receive around 27% of our budget from government grant and business rates, with the balance coming from council tax. Government grants have been decreasing since 2011/12, and we have reduced our budget to deal with this fall in income. Increases have been made to our council tax so that we can continue to offer a quality service to the public of Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.

Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014

Accounts and Audit Regulation 2015