AN INDEPENDENT review will be held into the culture at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service following claims of abusive behaviour by two of its firemen.

An investigation from ITV News reported allegations against two firemen who had been allowed to keep their jobs despite claims of sexual harassment and abusing women.

The investigation also featured allegations from the former partner of a firefighter in south Wales who said she had been domestically abused by the fireman.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service had been a White Ribbon organisation – meaning it had signed up as an organisation to ending male violence against women by engaging with changing cultures and raising awareness.

However, as of Monday, the fire service is no longer listed as a White Ribbon Supporter Organisation on the White Ribbon website.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer Huw Jakeway said: “On behalf of the service, I welcome the opportunity to apologise to those affected by these events and to anyone that our service has let down.    

“I am unable to go into the specifics of each case, but as a result of these complaints I will now initiate an independent review of our culture, our discipline processes and historic cases where our employees have failed to uphold our high standards.    

“All matters of discipline are taken extremely seriously and are considered in line with the service’s established disciplinary procedure, which follows best practice set by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).

“Disciplinary cases are fully investigated and decisions are reached by an impartial disciplinary panel, following consideration of the full facts of each case.

“We will continue to work with White Ribbon to end abusive and misogynistic elements of male culture, to prevent violence against women and girls before it starts.  

“We have been an active participant in the annual White Ribbon 16 days of action and often invite domestic abuse survivors to talk with our staff on this sensitive issue. This year we also declared our 47 fire and rescue stations as Safe Havens, where anyone in imminent danger can attend for help.  

“We are working very hard to diversify our service to be more representative of the communities we serve. We are proud that seven out of 22 people who graduated as Wholetime Firefighters this month are women, which further demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity.    

“I would encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses inappropriate behaviour from any member of the service – whether you are an employee or member of the public – to report their concerns through the appropriate routes which include: notifying their line manager, making a disclosure under our whistleblowing procedure; raising a grievance; or through our complaints process. 

“I am committed to dealing with any actions that contravene our values and professional standards.”