What is the National Disabled Fire Association?
The NDFA was established in 2004, when the Disability Discrimination Act was extended to provide legal protection for firefighters, police officers and prison officers. Our aims are:
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To ensure that UK Fire & Rescue Service (UK FRS) employees, living with and affected by disability are managed and supported appropriately to meet their own needs and those of the UK FRS
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To support the UK FRS in the promotion of effective and sustainable equality outcomes for disabled citizens in the community at large
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To work with the UK FRS to promote positive relations with disabled people in the community
We aim to achieve this by pursuing the following objectives:
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Increasing and maintaining awareness about disability issues within the UK FRS
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Facilitating the development of independent national and local peer support mechanisms for staff living with and affected by disability who are employed, or who apply for employment, in the UK FRS
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Providing a central database of experience, case studies, good practice and information relevant to disability issues in the UK FRS
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Developing mechanisms and processes to enable access to this database for key stakeholders - such as practitioners and managers in the fields of Human Resources, Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Occupational Health
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Facilitating the retention of individuals within the UK FRS by supporting employers and employees when considering "reasonable adjustment"
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Influencing and advising on best practice, policies and processes (nationally and locally) to improve access to recruitment, induction, training, retention and career progression of employees with disabilities
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Establishing and developing relationships with stakeholders and relevant community groups whose aims are compatible with or supportive of the NDFA
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Supporting the UK FRS to be a promoter of social inclusion and disability equality within the community
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Promoting and carrying out or assisting in the undertaking of research, surveys and investigations and publish results which impact upon disabled staff within the UK FRS or disabled people within the community - as and when appropriate
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Working towards improving relationships between the UK FRS and disabled people within the UK
Our current Chair is Duncan White, who says,
"We want the NDFA to be a positive player in the fire service family. We believe that our organisational ethos of ‘doing the best for everyone' delivers results for both the individual and the fire service. We are delighted that Disability Forward has agreed to be our expert adviser, as it is one of the few disability organisations who can provide relevant advice about the implementation of the DDA in an operational and risk critical work environment".
We also have an expert adviser on the Disability Discrimination Act. Her name is Michelle Valentine, and she is Director of Disability Forward Limited. If you would like advice on a particular issue, you can post a message on our discussion forum, or you can email us directly. All information will be handled in the strictest confidence and we will comply with our duties under the Data Protection Act.