Our growing movement of Pledge To Be Seen organisations now includes Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS). They are the first UK fire service to partner with us and it means the SFRS will work to increase the representation of people with a visible difference in recruitment campaigns and strive to be an inclusive workplace.
Through Pledge To Be Seen, SFRS commit to promote change and ensure more people with a visible difference feel seen, heard, and included.
Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Bruce Farquharson signed the pledge on behalf of the SFRS, in his role as Disability Champion.
He says: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service actively promotes diversity. A diverse workforce allows us to bring talent and strengths from all parts of our community regardless of background.
No one should be judged on how suitable they are for a job based upon what they look like
“No one should be judged on how suitable they are for a job based upon what they look like, and I am proud as the SFRS Disability Champion that we are committing to the Changing Faces’ Pledge To Be Seen campaign. Signing up to this pledge will better equip our employees to engage with people with visible differences, improve understanding and remove bias in the workplace so that we are seen as an employer of choice.
“We aim to be inclusive, and people-centred. By removing barriers and recognising the value and importance of a diverse workplace, we can achieve that aim.”
Our Pledge To Be Seen campaign actively promotes diversity in the workplace and encourages more positive representations of visible difference across popular culture – whether that be through imagery used in advertising and brand campaigns, or language used in job descriptions and recruitment documents.
Atholl, Changing Faces, campaigner who lives in Scotland, says:
“I am delighted that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has become a Pledge To Be Seen employer. Growing up with a visible difference meant never seeing anyone who looked like me represented in a positive way. If I did see someone with a scar, mark or condition, more often than not they were the ‘evil’ character or someone to be pitied.
Growing up with a visible difference meant never seeing anyone who looked like me represented in a positive way.
“Now more organisations, like SFRS, are committing to challenging those outdated stereotypes, and instead featuring someone with a visible difference in positive ways, in job adverts or to promote a service. That should be celebrated. Representation is important, we can challenge prejudice when we talk about and embrace difference.”
Scottish campaigner, Atholl, is delighted that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has become a Pledge To Be Seen employer.
Earlier this year the Scottish Ambulance Service signed our Pledge To Be Seen commitment. They were followed during Face Equality Week by Transport for Wales, who also showcased their first advertising campaign featuring a person with a visible difference.
Angela Harris, Changing Faces, Head of Devolved Nations, says: “We’re looking forward to working together so the team at SFRS can learn more about the experience of living life with a visible difference or disfigurement.
“As an inclusive employer, it makes sense that the SFRS is joining a growing movement of organisations that have backed our Pledge To Be Seen campaign. We look forward to more Scottish organisations and businesses following their lead.”