Black firefighter who later took his own life, had his food tampered with and had glass put in his shoes as he faced ruthless racial harassment at a fire station

Black firefighters in southwest England, who have suffered a long time of racist treatment, intimidation and hostility from their colleagues, received an apology from the fire chief this week following the publication of a shocking report into long-standing and systemic racism in the fire service.

An independent inquiry into allegations of racism at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, which began in 2023 and included interviews with 40 current and former staff, found clear patterns of institutional racism throughout the organization between 1991 and 2018. – reported the International Fire and Safety Journal.

This included cases where black firefighters found themselves in unsafe situations by other firefighters who also exposed them to racial harassment, racial slurs, and swastikas.

Among those notoriously abused was Avanos Biney, a black firefighter who served from 1998 to 2001 and who took his own life in 2017 at the age of 49.

The report found that Biney was considered competent and trustworthy by his superiors, who gave him high rankings and praise for his performances. However, his colleagues often made racist remarks in his presence and denigrated him and other black firefighters.

Another firefighter was handed an “equal opportunity” document and his response to Avanos was, “What a f***ing waste of time.”

The report also states that after the volleyball game, Biney discovered the N-word on his shirt and swastikas were placed in his belongings.

He was isolated and bullied, and his friends alternately ignored or looked at him. His food was tampered with, itching powder was placed in his utensils and bed, and glass was placed in his shoes.

The report found that Biney was also exposed to dangerous situations arranged by co-workers. On one occasion, when Biney was sent to a fully prolonged platform ladder that was not securely secured, other firefighters manipulated the ladder in order that it rocked and rotated, causing him distress.

Biney recorded the complete incident and said, “As you may see, that is their way of getting fun: rocking me back and forth. I’ve been here for about 10 minutes. This becomes quite boring and makes me feel somewhat sick.

Despite complaints to management and Fire Brigades Associationno motion was taken against those involved. Biney’s subsequent tribunal application alleging racial discrimination and victimization in 2002 was dismissed since it was submitted out of time.

Biney resigned and later worked for one more fire and rescue service in Jersey. He committed suicide in 2017 at the age of 49.

His family, who remember him as outgoing, generous, funny and selfless, demanded recognition of the institutionalized racism and other inappropriate behavior that contributed to his negative experiences at Gloucestershire Fire Service.

Biney’s nephew, Curtis Biney, who lived with him at the time of the violence while Avanos was employed by GFRS, he told the BBC“He was a victim of bullying and isolated from everyone else. People were doing things to his locker, people were saying things in front of him. Various things were said about him. In short, it all came down to a group of people who believed they could do these things without any reproach.”

Due to the shortage of accountability amongst top management, “this cannot be prevented,” he said. “You deal with it yourself, you stand up, go to work, do your thing and stay silent. It’s terrible.”

Curtis Biney said the investigation and report were “long overdue.”

An independent review by West Midlands Employers found that GFRS was institutionally racist between 1991 and 2018, however the service is no longer institutionally racist as a results of reforms implemented over the previous couple of years.

In addition to systemic racism and shocking incidents of racial discrimination over time, organizational failings identified in the report include leadership that prioritized operational competence over people management and social inclusion, a lack of psychological safety when raising concerns about inconsistent and ineffective grievance processes, and widespread historical misogyny , reported on Gloucestershire Live.

Fire Chief Mark Preece apologized on behalf of GFRS, saying he accepted the findings and committed to continuing to remodel the service.

“I want to apologize to our firefighters and past and present employees who have been victims of or witnessed terrible acts of discrimination, were made aware of wrongdoing, and tried to support the victims as best they could with little or no support,” he said.

“I fully accept the finding that the Service was institutionally racist between 1991 and 2018, which, combined with the lack of action by those leading GFRS during that time, made the lives of our black and minority ethnic firefighters unbearable. … I am not saying that racism, misogyny and bullying have been eradicated. There is still a lot to do.”

About Biney and other black and ethnic minority firefighters who have experienced discrimination, Preece said:

“I want to make it clear that they were not troublemakers, they were just trailblazers. The courage of those individuals and family members who have spoken out, past and present, is breaking down barriers and challenging ignorant, long-held views and stereotypes. Their commitment to making change for good must be recognized, and the legacy of anyone who relives trauma must be lasting and significant.”

According to the International Fire and Safety Journal, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it will call for increased government motion and called for the establishment of a statutory advisory body to watch skilled standards across all fire and rescue services.

Describing the report as exposing “decades of appalling institutional racism”, Ben Selby, deputy secretary general of the FBU, accused fire service management of overlooking complaints and failing to guard black firefighters. He called on the service to “confront its history and take action to eradicate racism in all forms.”

Former GFRS fire chief Jon Hall told the BBC that he mentioned the concerns of black firefighters in 2013 when, after meeting with them, he discovered that no black firefighters had ever been promoted beyond their entry-level rank in the service. However, it took one other decade to resolve these systemic problems.

“This damning report underscores the scale of the problem, and fire commanders have had their heads in the sand for decades,” said Val Hampshire, FBU Southwest executive board member. She said collaboration between the fire service and the FBU is vital to achieving lasting impact in the fight against each racism and misogyny.

GFRS was covered by special measures regarding its performance and failure to handle diversity issues and promote a positive workplace culture in July 2022. In August 2023, the service announced that it had launched a latest workplace charter setting out the behavior, ethics and values ​​of the service. It also committed to an independent review, reported the BBC.

These announcements followed independent report in 2022, which deemed the London Fire Brigade “institutionally misogynistic and racist” and report of the Inspectorate of Police and His Majesty’s Fire and Rescue Service in March 2023, which found “bullying, harassment and discrimination” across all fire and rescue services in England.