UK firefighters allegedly snapped photos of women who were killed in car crashes and posted the shocking images online — with some commenting about what kind of underwear they were wearing, according to a report.
“Retrieving the body of someone dead should tear you apart, not make you want to take photos of it, just to joke about it later,” the female firefighter added. “Because that’s someone’s loved one, isn’t it? That’s someone’s relative.”
Several female firefighters also told ITV News that they were subjected to sexual harassment at their firehouses and at the scene of blazes.
One woman said a male colleague tried to kiss her while a fire was “dampening down” when the rest of the crew were sent to refill the fire engine with water.
“Whilst we were alone, he was trying to kiss me,” the firefighter, who used the alias “Jess,” told ITV News. “Then he said, ‘If we hurry up, then you can give me sexual favors before they come back.’”
“I remember just sitting there and in my mind just thinking, please guys just come back quickly. Where are they? What’s taking them so long?” Jess said.
“I felt really uncomfortable, and I kept moving around and it was probably like a cat on a hot tin roof. I just kept moving around and trying to stay away from him,” she added.
Jess also claimed that if she wanted to move up the ranks, it would cost her “sexual favors.” In another incident, an officer tried to force her to have sex with him before training.
“He told me to get naked and said if we hurried up we could have sex before any of the crew came back,” she said.
“I tried to leave and he said, ‘As your officer, do as you’re told,’” Jess said, adding that she “pushed past him and said, ‘I’m not doing that.’”
She added: “It’s the worst feeling in the world that no matter what we do, that’s all we will ever be. A sexual object.”
The female firefighters also shared dozens of unsolicited, sexually explicit images and messages they received from their male counterparts with the outlet.
“I’d never want to see a picture like that and it repulses you, and then you have to go back to work,” said Sarah, whose name also was changed.
“You have to sit with this person in the truck, you have to go to fire calls with them and you know the way they feel and you know what they’ve sent you. And it just changes the whole atmosphere,” she said.
Another woman said she decided not to join the fire service after receiving explicit images at an open house — from the same firefighter who sent them to Sarah.
“It just affects everything. It affects your relationships, it affects your trust as well,” Sarah told ITV News.
“Because you meet someone new and you think, ‘Can I trust this person? Is he going to say something or do something?’ It makes you feel like you can’t trust any firefighter anymore,” she added.
Despite several of the firefighters being reported for their lewd and degrading behavior, ITV News said they are all apparently still working for the department.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell told ITV News: “The matters you have raised with us are deeply concerning and we take allegations of this nature extremely seriously.
“As allegations of criminal behavior are involved, we have immediately alerted the police so the appropriate action can be taken. I am also commissioning an independent investigation,” he told the outlet.
“As part of this investigation, I will be providing all of our female staff with the opportunity to speak to an independent organization,” he added.
Ansell also said the fire service has set up a confidential helpline for firefighters.
“The vast majority of our staff are good people, working hard and doing a great job. But when and if those standards are not met, we will move quickly to address it,” he said.
