Protected Characteristics

The Protected Characteristics covered by the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) are:

  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage and civil partnership
  • Pregnancy and maternity
  • Race, including ethnic or national Origins, colour or nationality
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation

How does MFRA take into account the Protected Characteristics?

In meeting the PSED, MFRS gives due regard to the need to consider individuals when developing policies, in delivering services and in relation to staff employment practices. All public bodies must show due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people when carrying out their activities.

In line with the responsibilities placed upon MFRA we have developed and published five Equality Objectives for 2017-2021. These are the follows: 

  1. Create a strong cohesive organisation that welcomes challenges.
  2. To ensure that people from diverse communities receive equitable services that meet their needs.
  3. Reducing fires and other incidents among the vulnerable protected groups. By better understanding the impacts for diverse communities in terms of fires and other incidents, we can measure whether there are any disproportionate outcomes for relevant protected groups.
  4. To ensure that staff are better equipped to deliver in their roles while:
  • Showing due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010.
  • Advance equality of opportunities for under-represented groups.
  • Foster good relations between people who share protected groups and those who do not.
  1. To continue to aspire to achieving excellence, or equivalent in a Fire and Rescue Service Equality Framework.

Our Equality Objectives have been incorporated into our Integrated Risk Management Plan (click here) and are delivered through our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan 2017-20. Progress made against these objectives can be found in our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Annual Report 2018/19 (click here). Both documents provide more detail and context around our five objectives and how they were developed in consultation with staff, stakeholders, representative bodies and communities across Merseyside.