The Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade (LFB) published on Friday November 25, chaired by Nazir Afzal OBE, is a review that in Nazir's words is, 'rooted in deep respect for the work of the London Fire Brigade staff. He highlights that there is no question that the Brigade's response to emergencies and the protection of all Londoners is a high-quality service. The report is intended to focus on areas where, 'improvement is needed and where toxic elements threaten to undermine the strength of the Brigade'. Commissioned in response to an internal investigation into the death of firefighter Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit, who sadly took his own life in August 2020, Nazir and his team collected evidence from more than 2,000 current and former members of LFB personnel over a period often months. Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is recognised and has been improved on in recent years throughout the Brigade, but this culture review pays attention to the failings in the processes which directly impact on the treatment and career development of women, black, Asian and minority ethnic people, members of the LGBTQ+ community and neurodiverse staff.
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