The London Fire Brigade (LFB) must improve the way it responds to incidents and tackle “deeper-seated problems” such as bullying and discrimination, a watchdog found.

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found some responders were not trained on how to deal with terrorist incidents, while the brigade’s values “are not displayed by all staff”.

While the report acknowledges that the brigade’s leadership “recognises the scale of its challenges and is determined to improve”, HMICFRS inspector Matt Parr said, “this has not yet been matched by wide scale improvements” and not resulted in a better service.

The LFB’s response to last month’s heatwave, which saw fires rage throughout London, was praised by the report, though Mr Parr said that “beneath the surface, deeper-seated problems remain”.

He said that staff had spoken of “discriminatory treatment” and that many were not confident of reporting concerns or challenging colleagues’ behaviour “for fear of detrimental treatment”.

The report also revealed that there had been “slow progress” on suitable facilities for women at fire stations.

Responding to the report, LFB Commissioner Andy Roe said the brigade was “at the start of a very long journey” and that change in a large organisation such as the LFB “takes time”.

He said: “Change needs to start from within and it is my aim to ensure that staff feel comfortable and safe in their place of work. I will not tolerate any form of bullying or hostility towards anyone, it is my aim to eradicate this kind of behaviour from the brigade.”

Tam McFarlane, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, said the report makes it “blatantly clear” that there are “serious issues when it comes to the management culture of fire and rescue services”.

The HMICFRS report said that senior leaders within the brigade were “not always” found to demonstrate the values and behaviours expected of them.

LFB has been asked to undertake a review of the processes designed to deal with bullying and discrimination and implement improvements by the end of August.

The HMICFRS report also found that home fire safety visits were not being prioritised by level of risk, while too much time and too many resources were being wasted responding to false alarms.