The police are investigating claims that firefighters photographed women who died in car accidents , and then shared the photos on an WhatsApp group.
Within the mixture, the male firefighters from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service (DWFS) are said to have made demeaning remarks regarding the victims.
An female firefighters said to ITV News she had been told about the kind of clothing women wore in accidents.
The violently misogynistic tones here are undeniable. Violating the dignity of victims at their most vulnerable is a brutal, disgusting act and our thoughts are with all the families who will now be wondering if this happened to their loved ones. https://t.co/ATE5XbV0Vv
— Women's Equality Party (@WEP_UK) February 1, 2023
DWFS stated that they were “shocked and shocked” at the claims. Dorset Police said it would conduct investigations after consulting Wiltshire Police.
According to the story, a whistleblower who spoke anonymously said to ITV News: “I’ve seen people comment on the type of clothes the women were wearing during the crash.”
The female firefighter said: “Retrieving the body of someone who is dead should tear you apart, but not cause you to feel like snapping pictures of it to make fun of it in the future.
“Because it’s a loved one of someone else’s Isn’t that right? That’s someone’s relative.”
A number of female firefighters have also informed ITV News of persistent sexual harassment at their stations, which included allegations that a male firefighter demanded sexual favors on the spot of the fire.
‘Robustly investigate’
In an announcement, DWFS said it was “deeply worried” by the allegations , and has commissioned an independent investigation.
Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said: “As part of this investigation, I’ll be providing all our female staff members with the chance to talk to an independent group.
“We would like to request that people affected provide us with additional details to enable us to look into the accusations.”
The Dorset Police spokesperson added: “The little information available within the media report is of a highly alarming nature, yet they be causing some concern to the general public, and particularly family members of victims.
“We are concerned about that and will investigate thoroughly any evidence or information that is given to us.”
The police force stated that it had sought information about the incident from ITV News but had not been given any details.
The allegations are based on South Wales Fire and Rescue Service announced on December 1st that they was conducting an independent investigation into accusations of sexual harassment.
In November, a report revealed London Fire Brigade to be “institutionally homophobic as well as racist”.
