London Fire Brigade - Changing Facilities

[TinDogTavern]

Apparently London Fire Brigade have re-designated the female changing rooms at Mitcham fire station to mixed sex.

twitter.com/luluchops1/status/1146721937298776064?s=21

Tweet is from an FBU rep.

This from an organisation that has genuinely worked really hard recently to recruit more female firefighters and has its first ever female Commissioner.

Insanity.

I thought that was a breach of HSE and Equality legislation? Did they wait until Lucy Massoud had left to pull this stunt?

They have a new Equality Manager who goes into schools to teach children about gender identity.

mumsnet thread

So this is not surprising.

Lucy Masoud's talk about her experience as a female firefighter in London Fire Brigade.

LFB is 98% male, and she talks about the how female firefighters had to fight to get their Privacy for All campaign through. They won - and every fire station got female toilets, female showers and female-only sleeping accommodation.

womansplaceuk.org/a-womans-place/

Until now.

every fire station got female toilets, female showers and female-only sleeping accommodation.

Removed. In the name of progress. Hatred of women in action.

I feel gutted by this. It's a kick in the teeth for female fire fighters to not even consult. I'm starting to feel totally powerless.

Do they still have male changing facilities?

They can’t through can they? Don’t they have to provide single sex areas?

Women fought to get women's changing areas in the Fire Brigade.

And a few years later, it's taken away from them again. In the name of "equality and diversity". Equality my arse

Can someone explain why they can't make the men's mixed and the women's women's?

Because men wouldn't put up with it that's why.

Abby Crawford, who seems to be the person responsible for this, has made their twitter account private.

No fucking accountability. Just go private and claim harassment, no doubt.

Just stop fucking taking women's spaces away!

Women will not join up. Women will be assaulted. Is that what they want. I do look forward to discussing this with my firefighter niece.

What sex is Abby and will they need to share facilities at all?

From her Linked in entry.
Previously worked as a Senior Programmes Manager at Stonewall Equality Ltd. I supported central government departments and agencies to implement diversity and inclusion projects for staff and service users.
Experienced in the implementation of equality legislation in the public sector, client management, LGBT equality and inclusion, gender research and diversity, project management, engagement and influence of local and national policy stakeholders and senior government leadership. Trained in domestic violence policy, equality analysis, human rights, parliamentary policy and public sector equality duty.

I don't understand why women cannot share facilities - dd is in the armed forces and often facilities aren't segregated - you cannot be precious about segregated areas when your toilet is dug with a spade. Women aren't weak creatures that cannot cope with a man seeing their sports bra changing. Yes a separate toilet is nice, but I have shared facilities and it's fine. Find out the whole story and suggesting women will be assaulted is a stretch, they are their colleagues

Most women wouldn’t. Human dignity. I wouldn’t want to wash, sleep and shit next to men. Why should I - the law says I don’t have to.

And women are assaulted mostly by males known to them. What about the whole ‘boys banter’? If you are the only woman in the team how comfortable would you feel in a lads locker room?

Stuck because women face sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly in male dominated roles.

There simply aren't enough women in the fire brigade to necessitate an entire facility just for them.
Don't forget we're living in times of austerity.
To have an entire sleep/wash/shit area designated to women that will be left empty for the most part is a bit of a waste of resources.

It makes sense to let men use the area when no one else is using it.

I'm all for encouraging more women into the Fire Brigade.

Stuck, why do you think those women fought and fought for single provision services? Ever read any of them talking about it, the issues they experienced and why they needed this provision?

Great you don't need it, lovely for you. Not sure it was for those women.

I think it's fake news?

Any person who actively removes safe single sex provision for women, needs to have the spotlight shone on them. We have single sex provision for a very real reason, this was introduced before every young male had porn freely available on their mobile phone.

A hoax? Maybe but the fact that no one though it unlikely and people defend it speaks volumes. Plus the ikkle pwitty rainbow logo 🙄

God, that would be a relief if it's fake. Hoping so.

I think it's fake news?

Hopefully.