Fire Stations: An architect’s response to the London Fire Brigade Independent Culture Review
Issued in late 2022, Nazir Afzal’s Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade was damning. Highlighting widespread racism and misogyny, the report recommends root and branch overhaul of the culture of the organization. MOPA have been working with Norfolk County Council to understand whether there is role for architecture in the response by the wider Fire and Rescue Service.
Following the tragic suicide of Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit, who took his own life following a prolonged period of bullying at work which his family attribute to his race, the independent review was commissioned to take a deep dive into the culture of the London Fire Brigade LFB. This follows years of criticism of for a culture which has been described as “pack like”. Using extensive direct engagement with existing staff members, the report found consistent and compelling evidence to support this claim, with cumulative reports of racist and sexist behaviours including verbal and in some cases physical abuse, and direct betrayals of an ethos of public service.
The extensive coverage of the report at the time is testimony to its power: it is well written and provides a meaningful roadmap for change. Suggestions include a zero-tolerance disciplinary approach, improving leadership within the organization and a better and more private HR policy.
Is there a role in architecture in the response? Environments cannot determine cultural shifts – but they can articulate and support the process. In addition to ensuring that there are adequate and equitable facilities for all staff members, there is a strong argument that spatial and environmental changes could positively contribute to creating the culture of public service and professionalism that has been highlighted as so wanting in many fire stations examined by the report.
A comparable moment when the role of architecture was highlighted as a key tool for public service reform, was under the Building Schools for the Future programme lead by the Labor government in the 2000’s. This programme put the transformation of the built environment at the heart of the ‘Education, Education, Education’ agenda, on the understanding that through changing the places of learning themselves the wider educational agenda could be promoted. At the launch of the programme, David Miliband said that: “School buildings should inspire learning. They should nurture every pupil and member of staff. They should be a source of pride and a practical resource for the community.”
One of the immediate and obvious areas for improvement would be a close-up look at facilities within fire stations to ensure that all needs are being met by the building. Lucy Masoud, fire-fighter and trade unionist, has been campaigning on gender discrimination in the fire service for a number of years, and has repeatedly highlighted the failure of many stations to provide adequate changing and dormitory facilities for its female workforce. Her call has been for ‘privacy for all’ within stations, which Afzal’s report identifies is in many stations still is not being achieved.
Perhaps more interestingly, are there other spatial interventions which could be made to these private, club-house like environments to express greater professional duty and the values of public service? As is often the case with technical buildings and infrastructure, the design of fire stations has historically been myopic focussing exclusively on their pressing technical functionality. They are simply not designed as holistic workspaces. Fire stations are generally set away from high streets and public spaces, with no spatial mediation between the facility itself and the surrounding community. Often fire stations are of an impenetrable architecture, which gives little away to the outside world – few windows and oversize elevations. Contained within are the spaces to mobilise a rescue response effectively, but lack other types of spaces which might be required, including those for privacy, professional development or quiet reflection after difficult operations. It is perhaps not surprising that these buildings should create a culture of inward-lookingness and fail to instil the type of culture which we would hope to see in a frontline public services.
Some areas where architecture could support the aspirations of Independent Culture Review are outlined below:
1. Architecture to be articulate values of public service and professionalism.
Examples might include redesigning entrances to express the public facing nature of the fire service and having lobby spaces which convey the values of the fire service.
2. Facilities to meet the needs of all.
This would include appropriate spaces for women and facilities to accommodate religious practices but should also include ensuring there are spaces for different personality types. While spaces which encourage the camaraderie of the watch is important, spaces for quiet reflection and ‘being apart’ should also be provided. The culture of the mess was highlighted as a particular site of bullying by the report: canteen design in the BSF is of interest here, where the layout of eating spaces was critical to addressing the challenge of bullying in many schools.
3. Spaces to support organizational aspirations of report.
These might include ensuring that there confidential environments for discussing HR issues, training and upskilling rooms to support career development, therapy or wellbeing spaces that build in the legitimacy of an emotional response to the testing emotional strain of work undertaken, and visual representation of excellence where it is demonstrated within watches.
4. Community facing.
Public facing entrances and lobbies and transitional spaces between the public realm and the technical functions of the station could mediate better the relationship between these important institutions and their communities. Community engagement and programming could be undertaken as a part of any package of renovations.
5. Engagement.
Use the building transformation work itself to engage with staff members, and to act as part of a process of active listening encouraged by the report.