The Race to the Top: Structural Racism and How to Fight it was the theme of Nazir Afzal's session, taken from his book of the same title. Addressing delegates two days before the leaked report into the Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade (see pg 31), Nazir's disturbing talk from his time as Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Northwest of England challenged his audience while also proving inspirational as he reinforced the empowering action of listening to victims of abuse. It was noteworthy that there was scant reference to the fire service review that would hit the headlines the same weekend and did not detract in the slightest from his powerful commentary. Taking place on November 23-24 at Chester Racecourse, the networking and knowledge sharing event was ostensibly on the theme of'Inclusion and the Fire Service Core Code of Ethics and considerations for the Fire and Rescue Service'. However, what separates this conference from most Fire Service events is the often-harrowing examples of experiences shared by speakers and delegates. More often than not it is when the system breaks down with real people shining a spotlight on much needed insight beyond the paper-based language of protocols, policies and procedures.
展开▼
