In celebration of Black History Month, we had the opportunity to speak with Jax Effiong, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Jax shared insights into their journey, the importance of diversity and inclusion within the fire service, and how personal experiences shape their commitment to fostering an inclusive environment.
In your role as Head of Diversity and Inclusion within the fire service, can you share your journey and what motivated you to take on this position?
I remember a time when internalised oppression, which grew from years of Racism, Homophobia and Misogyny, kept me from growing, stifled my confidence, knocked self-esteem and slowed down my professional development. On reflection, these experiences held me back by many years, but also made the Woman I am today. My multi-racial heritage and femme identity gave me a range of privileges, rights and benefits simply because of my looks and judgements from others. Lights not always white, and fitting the stereotypes of heterosexuality, meant constantly correcting assumptions, it was emotionally exhausting, but also gave me insight into the subtle and intentional traits of discrimination and inequalities. It was the support of Stonewall’s leadership programmes that gave me the insight and awareness to recognise and transfer skills taught through the day-to-day struggles to shut out the self-doubt to truly become the inclusive leader I am in my current role. I’m very proud to represent an organisation that is going through an inclusive change, and embraces what I and others from a range of diverse backgrounds bring to the table, bringing out skills and competencies to influence senior leads and inspire others to! I encourage everyone, every day, to bring their whole self to work, to celebrate Race, Faith, LGBTQ+ Status, Gender identity, Disability and Caring responsibilities. We all need that psychological safety to bring joy to work, to our families, our communities and to thrive!
How has your personal experience shaped your approach to promoting diversity and inclusion within the Greater Manchester Fire Service?
There is power in giving hope and joy, yes, we tackle discrimination with a strong zero tolerance approach within policies and actions, but we also engage our staff in conversation, through our inclusive culture training and our wider engagement offer. We have open seats around our Culture First Board and give space to network voice. We are open to challenge and recognise the brave who speak out when we get it wrong. Ensuring senior leads resource programmes well, to enable our workforce to learn, to be the best we can be, to serve all our communities, to keep them safe, having a powerful inclusive reputation, to attract the next diverse generation of workers! My experience gives me the tenacity and determination to keep on building the foundations and structures, to enable us to continue to be a learning organisation, leaving a legacy of strength and resolve for the next EDI Manager to carry the flame for the next challenge. We want our inclusive culture to be meaningful and embedded. “It’s just the way we do things around here”.
What unique perspectives do you bring to the recruitment process, particularly in attracting a diverse range of candidates to the fire service?
Our recruitment and attraction team work hard to ensure that EDI is a part of their processes and that they are aware of any barriers for underrepresented communities. We have found that a big part of the barrier for entry for some of these groups is a lack of awareness of these roles being open for them. There are proportions of the population, such as women, who are underrepresented in the Fire and Rescue Service and they do not always know that they possess all the skills and abilities that the fire service is looking for. To try and support in awareness, engagement and allowing all underrepresented groups to see the skills for the roles in action, GMFRS hosts taster days in which attendees are able to take part in the activities. It is important that in these taster days, attendees are also given explanations and support for all of the processes that go into applying for jobs at GMFRS, as some underrepresented groups have less exposure to these. We work to look at our ways of working to make sure we are updating the equipment we use in role (uniforms for women, investigating alternative equipment to avoid facial hair trimming) and the processes involved in recruitment (interview questions sent ahead of time, blind applications, reasonable adjustments) to make sure there are fewer barriers to all communities accessing roles.
From your perspective, what are the main barriers that underrepresented groups face when considering a career in the fire service, and what steps are you taking to address these challenges?
Here are just some of the barriers we continue to tackle through a range of proactive measures in the organisation and nationally:
- Unacceptably homogenised workforce profile.
- Lack of leaders from unrepresented groups reaching senior roles.
- Perception of the fire service as macho, racist, misogynistic and homophobic or at best disinterested.
- Outdated stereotypes and assumptions.
- Lack of understanding of racialised and marginalised communities across the service.
- Very small numbers of visible Black, PoC, Women and LGBTQ+ operational staff across the Service and wider fire and rescue sector.
How do your diversity and inclusion programmes address the intersectionality of race, gender, and other aspects of identity?
Our Inclusive programmes, such as Developing Diverse leadership, Mutual Mentoring, Workplace coaching, Interview Skills and Inclusive culture training to name a few, are promoted through our Staff Networks and Active Allyship platform. We intentionally resource space for Network Chairs, leads and senior sponsors to gather on a regular basis, to learn and reflect together. We promote the intersections between forms or systems of oppression and discrimination, so we continually grow together. Sharing lived experience along the way. We all have different experiences and identities, which interlock with each other. Considering these relationships when working to promote equity is integral for change. We showcase and celebrate in style, through our Power of staff Networks Annual Conference, we come together to recognise the hard work, commitment and dedication of our chairs, leads and senior sponsors. Through their voice the organisation is learning to change, what’s exciting is the fact the organisation is actively listening to our voices to help meaningful change that benefits the whole workforce and our diverse communities!
What does Black History Month mean to you personally, and are there any Black history heroes you would like to mention?
Black History Month to me is… a reflection and celebration of the Black, Queer, Trans, Intersex, PoC giants that blazed a trail for us. To inspire, motivate and recharge, so we continue to support the movement for true equity, so we too, can leave a trail for the generations to come…. I think it’s really important to remember that we are Black and PoC all year round, not just for one Month of the year, I see October as a springboard for the rest of the year’s insights, education and learning, to influence change, winning hearts and minds along the way! “There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” (Audre Lorde – Self-described Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet, who dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing injustices of racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and homophobia. My shero!
For those interested in pursuing a rewarding career with the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, further information is readily available. Please contact us at 0161 608 4146 for any inquiries. To learn more about the recruiting process, view current vacancies, and express your interest in joining GMFRS, visit the Join Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service Page.