Female firefighter wins sex harassment tribunal after her male colleagues insisted on taking the ‘scenic route’ in their fire engine so they could ogle women on a night out
- Julie Wilkinson said male firefighters would drive the long way to ogle women
- She successfully sued Cleveland Fire Brigade for this sex harassment
A female firefighter has won a sex harassment case after her male colleagues insisted on taking the ‘scenic route’ in their fire engine so they could stare at women on a night out.
Julie Wilkinson, the only woman on her team, told an employment tribunal the male firefighters would take a diversion to ogle at passing women and discuss whether they would have sex with them.
Ms Wilkinson – a 14-year veteran of the brigade – said she was ‘forced’ to ride along on these trips, which she said was known at the ”f****y run’ at Cleveland Fire Brigade in Stockton-on-Tees.
But when she complained she was told they referred to it as the ‘d**k run’ when women were onboard for inclusivity, the tribunal heard.
The firefighter is now in line for compensation after successfully suing the brigade for sex harassment as she was ‘ostracised’ and subject to ‘misogynistic’ behaviour.
Male firefighters would take the ‘scenic route’ back to their station so they could ogle women
The employment tribunal held in Teesside heard that Ms Wilkinson started working as a firefighter with the brigade in 2009 where she was told ‘What happens in the Mess stays in the Mess’.
In 2021 she was assigned to the Blue Watch team in Redcar near Middlesbrough.
She was the only female member of the watch and the group had several Whatsapp groups in which ‘sexualised images, jokes and other content’ were posted by her male colleagues, the hearing was told.
On 22 December 2021 she went out on a job with Watch Manager David Colman, and firefighters Graham Kirk and Paul Froom.
On the way back went to get a take-away which they parked up to wait for. In this time the three men ‘assessed the females’ who walked past, the tribunal heard,
Ms Wilkinson said they discussed whether they ‘would or wouldn’t’ have sex with them.
The tribunal heard: ‘(Ms Willkinson) sat at the back of the pump behind Mr Colman.
‘She felt uncomfortable, invisible, disregarded and, as a female member of the team, not respected or valued.
‘When the girl approached with the food delivery, Mr Kirk said “I would give her one” at which Mr Colman laughed and replied, “You would give anyone one”.’
On 31 January 2022, the tribunal heard Ms Wilkinson was on duty with Mr Kirk and Mr Colman.
The tribunal heard: ‘The team were going out on visits and Mr Kirk was driving the fire engine. He said to Mr Colman “let’s go the scenic route”.
‘Instead of returning to the fire station by the most direct route, Mr Kirk drove a longer route back to the station, via the seafront. Mr Kirk asked Mr Colman on several occasions “what he could do with that”, referring to the females that they passed en route.
‘(Ms Wilkinson) felt intimidated and degraded by these comments.’
The next month Ms Wilkinson launched a grievance, complaining that she had been ‘subjected to bullying, aggression and humiliation’ and had been ‘ostracised’ by male firefighters who behaved in ‘a misogynistic way towards me because I was a woman’.
READ MORE – Female firefighter reveals the shocking harassment that forced her to leave her ‘dream job’
She said: ‘(I was) forced to go on “‘f****y runs” while male firefighters ogled women on nights out and discussed whether or not they would “do her” or “give her one”.
‘These were mainly on weekends, evenings and usually after we’d finished at an incident and were returning back to the station.
‘If I was ever asked if we should go on a ‘f****y run and said no, I was told it was down to (the officer in charge or driver’s) discretion and we would then take the ‘scenic’ route back.’
The ”f****y run’ involved driving down Redcar High Street and Station Road in the town, the hearing was told.
The fire service launched an investigation into Ms Wilkinson’s complaints and another female firefighter confirmed that the practice took place.
However, she said the male firefighters referred to it as the ‘d**k run’ when she was on board.
Responding to Ms Wilkinson’s allegations, the brigade’s investigator said the matter needed to be looked into by senior management.
He told her: ‘With reference to your assertion that crews go out of their way to stare at women, commonly known as a ‘f**** run’, a witness confirmed that when female firefighters are part of a crew they call it the d**k run, for inclusivity purposes.’
When questioned, the male firefighters strenuously denied the allegations, and said the ‘scenic route’ was the preferred one to take where children would often wave at them.
They denied making derogatory comments about women with Mr Coleman stating he would have challenged any such remarks.
However, the tribunal found that – given the unchallenged sexual nature of the Whatsapp chat – his claim ‘rang hollow’.
Having assessed the evidence ‘holistically’, the panel accepted Ms Wilkinson’s version of events.
The panel said: ‘We find that the conduct of Firefighter Kirk, Firefighter Froom and Watch Manager Colman had the effect of creating an ‘intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive environment’ for (Ms Wilkinson).’
Ms Wilkinson’s compensation will be decided at a later date.
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