About the CultureSpark Programme
CultureSpark is a research and innovation programme led by the University of Huddersfield, working in partnership with UK Fire and Rescue Services to understand and improve organisational culture, wellbeing, and inclusion. The programme builds on over a decade of academic research into the culture and leadership of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS). Through collaborative, evidence-based methods, CultureSpark helps services co-create positive change, grounded in research, informed by experience, and guided by the voices of their staff.
Origins: The Framework for Change Project
The CultureSpark Programme began with the Framework for Change project, a collaboration between the University of Huddersfield and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (NYFRS), funded through the UKRI ESRC and AHRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) at the University of Huddersfield.
In response to national reports highlighting concerns around culture and inclusion within emergency services, the project worked with more than 240 staff through interviews, surveys, and 28 co-production workshops. Together, we developed a research-informed Framework for Change, including a Leadership Charter and Behavioural Framework co-designed with staff to support a more inclusive, supportive, and accountable organisational culture.
This partnership laid the foundation for a new way of approaching cultural improvement — one that is collaborative, evidence-led, and tailored to the unique realities of fire and rescue work.
Developing the CultureSpark Toolkit
Building on the success of the Framework for Change, the University launched the CultureSpark Project in 2025, partnering with both North Yorkshire FRS and Surrey FRS.
This phase focuses on developing and testing the CultureSpark Toolkit, a scalable, research-informed model for co-creating cultural change across the Fire and Rescue Service sector. Through staff surveys, focus groups, and co-creation workshops, the project is refining and validating the toolkit to ensure it works in diverse organisational contexts and supports long-term transformation.
The toolkit seeks to provide practical tools and frameworks — including employee surveys (The Fire Culture Monitor), leadership and behavioural charters, and implementation guidance — to help Services strengthen inclusion, psychological safety, and wellbeing.
Meet the Team
Dr Tom Simcock
Research Fellow and Academic Lead of CultureSpark Programme, University of Huddersfield
Research with Purpose
CultureSpark combines rigorous academic research with practical collaboration. Every element of the programme — from surveys to workshops — is grounded in ethical research practice and co-designed with Fire and Rescue Service partners.
Our role as researchers is not to inspect or judge, but to help Services see their culture clearly, learn from lived experience, and use evidence to guide improvement. This approach ensures the findings are trusted, relevant, and ready to shape real change on the ground.
Making Culture Work for People
CultureSpark is about making culture work for people. The findings aren’t left on a shelf, they become conversations, actions, and new ways of working. Through the Fire Culture Monitor, each Service sees a clear picture of its culture, and through collaborative sessions, staff and leaders turn that understanding into tangible improvements that support wellbeing and fairness.
Towards a National Learning Community
The long-term aim of CultureSpark is to create a national learning network for Fire and Rescue Services — one that shares evidence, supports peer learning, and builds collective capacity for change.
By connecting local action with national insight, the programme contributes to a stronger, more inclusive fire and rescue sector that can continue to protect the public while caring for its people.