A senior fire officer has become the latest victim of the UK government’s speech policing after he was forced out of his job for “sexist behavior” for failing to discipline his colleagues for using the “offensive” term “fireman.”
Simon Bailey, a 27-year veteran of the Avon and Somerset Fire Service who had previously been commended for bravery, was disciplined for allowing what investigators called a “longstanding campaign” of “sexism” in his station.
Bailey has just lost his case after suing his former employer for unfair dismissal.
The hero fireman received a written warning in July 2023 after a tribunal found he presided over an “openly sexist” workplace.
He was accused of allowing “sexist behavior” for failing to challenge staff who used the term “fireman” instead of “firefighter.”
The disciplinary action followed complaints in 2021 from firewoman Sasha Acheson, a former England Women’s rugby player.
Acheson claimed she was “belittled” and targeted by her superiors, including her Crew Manager Dean Davies and Bailey, who was her Watch Manager.
Avon Fire and Rescue admitted to “persistent sexual derogatory and offensive comments” toward and about women, creating an “openly and over-sexist and discriminatory workplace environment.”
Female Firefighter Said She Faced Constant Sexist Behavior
Acheson reported that the term “fireman” was “used frequently” despite being supposedly outdated.
She said she challenged her peers “with a smile” or a “groan,” recalling one fireman who responded:
“I will stop saying fireman when they stop specifically recruiting only firewomen.”
Acheson, who is gay, won claims of sex discrimination, constructive dismissal, sexual harassment, victimization, and harassment on the grounds of sexual orientation.
She received more than $66,500 in compensation.
Acheson also reported that women at the station were called “snakes with tits,” and that Davies once told colleagues he and Acheson had watched pornography together, had a “bonding moment,” and were at “next level.”
She accused Davies of standing “uncomfortably close” with his arm around her while allegedly making the remarks.
The tribunal ruled this was “clearly sexual harassment.”
In another incident, when discussing a new female recruit, Davies asked, “Is she fit?”
A separate conversation described by the tribunal included a manager joking that a firewoman “should have been in the kitchen working up a sweat instead.”
The tribunal said the remark “simply reflects straightforwardly [the] sexist assumption that a woman’s place was in the kitchen.”
Bailey Acknowledged He Never Challenged the Behavior
During an investigative interview, Bailey admitted the term “fireman” was used “quite commonly, rightly or wrongly.”
“I’m old-fashioned,” he explained.
“I don’t use it, but I don’t see a problem.
“It’s pretty obvious to me that that term should not be used anymore.”
He also admitted he never directly challenged anyone for using the term, though he said he may have joked, “You can’t say that.”
Bailey conceded that in hindsight, the term had “the potential to cause offense.”
However, he insisted the culture was “respectful,” though he acknowledged the language used at the station “was not squeaky clean all the time.”
Bailey Felt “Humiliated,” Forced to Resign
Bailey received a final written warning in July 2023.
Though he was not demoted, he said the proceedings left him feeling “humiliated.”
Following the proceedings, he was forced to resign in September 2023.
He later filed an unfair dismissal claim alleging constructive dismissal.
However, an employment tribunal ruled the fire service acted appropriately.
Tribunal: Fire Service Was Justified in Disciplining Him
Employment Judge Richard Woodhead ruled that the sanction issued to Bailey was “reasonable.”
He wrote:
“[Mr Bailey] did not challenge the use of this term when he heard it.
“I do not consider it a serious matter that the term ‘Fireman’ continued to be used on occasion on [Mr Bailey’s] watch…
“It was not sustainable for [Mr Bailey] to have asserted that he did not hear demeaning comments or that language used on his watch was respectful when it is clear that jokes that were demeaning and stereotyped women were made on the Watch for which he was responsible.”
The judge said Bailey “clearly knew” about the sexist culture and that the fire service did not act in a way “calculated to destroy or seriously damage” the relationship of trust with him.
Bailey worked for Avon Fire & Rescue Service from 1996 until his resignation in 2023, rising from firefighter to Watch Manager B, a role responsible for managing conduct and performance within the station.
Throughout his career, he was praised for his bravery and widely regarded as a hero.
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