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Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has been awarded Menopause Friendly Accreditation, recognising its ‘exceptional commitment’ to supporting its employees during menopause.
Awarded following an assessment by an independent panel, the Service had to demonstrate evidence of its effectiveness in five key areas – culture, training, policies, colleague engagement and working environment.
The accreditation is a ‘best in class’ marker and differentiates employers who have demonstrated the positive impact of their actions in supporting people experiencing menopause.
“We’re incredibly proud to have achieved this accreditation as it validates all the work we have done over the past few years to understand the impact of menopause symptoms on the many different roles people do in our fire service and to ensure the right support is in place.
“But most importantly, it has been about making our workplace somewhere that conversations about menopause and the impact of symptoms can be had openly without embarrassment or fear of being treated differently.”
Assistant Director for Communication and Engagement, and Menopause Champion for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Hayley Douglas
CFRS has provided mandated menopause awareness training to everyone on staff. The organisation has also ensured guidance is in place and regularly refreshed, created risk assessments, put posters in washrooms promoting common symptoms, improved toilet and welfare provisions for fire crews at incidents, and held internal events.
The service has joined an elite group of menopause friendly accredited employers including FTSE100 companies to charities, public sector bodies to high street retailers and global banking groups to football clubs. All display their badge to show they have made adjustments to their working environment and implemented practices to change the lived experience of menopause in their workplace.
“We’re delighted to award Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service with Menopause Friendly Accreditation. This achievement recognises the organisation’s exceptional commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive culture where menopause is understood, normalised and openly discussed.
“From embedding menopause awareness into mandatory training to leading national sector conversations, their passion, leadership and dedication are truly inspiring. They are not only supporting their own colleagues – they are helping shape the future of menopause support across the emergency services.”
Deborah Garlick, Chief Executive Officer for Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace
In February 2025, Humberside became the first UK fire service to be recognised for menopause training. Read all about it here.
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