Benevolent shop items and Black and Ethnic communitys.

[timsmiff]

Hi,
I jusy wondered if anybody uses or has links for suppliers of items suitable for Black and Ethnic communitys and female firefighters.

Most of the stock we currently have represents a white male organisation and if possible we would like to have something that represents the fire service as an equal opportunitys employer.  

If possible could you please respond directly to the West Midlands Fire Service Benevolent shop.

benevolent.shop@wmfs.net

Thanks.

[Chris Houston]

What are you actually looking for?

[timsmiff]

Hi Chris,
The benevolent shop has a whole range of items, from keyrings to commerative axes etc but the images we have are all white and male, we are just looking for black and or female equivelants to balance things up.

[kurnal]

Sounds like you need to get on to your normal suppliers to get themselves up to date and make sure their products are in line with the  modern fire service

[Wiz]

I would suggest that you ensure that you display and stock the precise percentages of diversity of the group or groups that you are trying to represent so that you do not either understate nor overstate the actual percentage representation of that group to avoid complaints from those unfairly represented in your displays and/or stock.

[maineroad]

tim,that should ensure your promotion,well done!!

[Chris Houston]

Sounds like you need to get on to your normal suppliers to get themselves up to date and make sure their products are in line with the  modern fire service

I can only speak for the local lot, but if the photos only show white male fire fighters they are accuratly reflecting the fire fighters in my area.  

Hope that wasn't too controversial......

[Martin Burford]

a WEEK'S PAY DOCKED.

I have recently read about the firefighter in Lancashire who has, it was reported, been docked a weeks pay for giving bone marrow to a very ill teenage girl, and therefore off work for a week. If this is true a condemn the management of Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service for contemplating such a course of action and I do wonder where todays officer's in this Fire Service obtain their inteligence, or perhaps a total lack of it!............Unfortunately from my observations of today's fire service, this reported incident just about sums it up. yes I am a retired fire officer and glad I am!
Conqueror.

[timsmiff]

tim,that should ensure your promotion,well done!!

Sad!

[maineroad]

Sad but true

[toidi]

Conqueror

I agree that it is sad in this day and age that a Fire Authority has to take this course of action but can sympathise with them due to the current climate within the UK fire Service!
Where do you draw the line.
Firstly, I would like to think that the Firefighter was given the opportunity to change his holidays to allow this to happen.
while we all agree that it is an admirable cause, the granting of time off for this  sets a precedent which will be abused by certain people.
"If this FF can get a week off for this, can I get a month off to do a charity walk which will raise money for 3rd World countries and save more lives"
Nothing is ever so black and white in the service any more and sadly I have witnessed at first hand people abusing a service who has bent the rules to try and suit an individual!
I remember one occasion where a FF's wife had Cancer and he was visiting Hospital morning noon and night to be at her bedside. The Senior Officer gave this FF time off and even arranged a staff car so that the person could use it as he had no car at the time. The next week the FF gets caught driving a taxi when he is meant to be visiting the hospital!!!
After that all leave was done as per the grey book.

[The Colonel]

The above posts are all well and good but what have they to do with Benevolent Fund shops!!!!  Nothing

[G]

Hi,
I jusy wondered if anybody uses or has links for suppliers of items suitable for Black and Ethnic communitys and female firefighters.

Do you actually think our brothers and sisters, from whatever background we come from, actually care what merchandise you sell? What makes an item 'more suitable' for FM A who has Chinese heritage, than FF B who is of Swedish decent?

We're more interested in seeing Cumbria go from strength to strengh to cater for the incresed referals. It sounds like more PC nonsense and more money wasting again.

[timsmiff]

Sadly this topic was not as well recieved as i might of hoped.

We are ALL just people regardless of race, sex and/or colour and i was simply trying to source products that reflect the diverse workforce that makes up the modern fire service.

For the cynics, i am not after promotion and this has nothing to do with politics.

I was approached by a member of the community who wanted to buy an item from the benevolent shop and their child asked why all of the faces were white. I was not able to provide an answer and promised that i would ask if anyone could help.

From the mixed response so far it would appear that i have yet to find an answer.

[Big T]

I'd just stock items depicting firefighters in BA. No problems then are there. It might get embarrassing when you worked out which were the best sellers and eventually had to concede that stocking white or chinese firefighters for example was no longer cost effective as you didn't sell enough to make stocking them viable. Or perhaps just stock pewter fugurines?

Incidentally do you do a figurine of a brave fire safety officer. Holdng a clipboard / ham sandwich etc? I fancy one for my mantle piece.