We’re calling for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service to abandon its plans to hire senior fire service managers with no experience of firefighting or the fire service.
The highly-contested ‘Direct Entry’ scheme introduced by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) will see people external to the fire service parachuted into high-ranking positions taking charge of operations tackling critical incidents, without having attended one as a firefighter.
The public expect that all firefighters responding to an emergency will know how to put out a fire. The scheme is an insult to firefighters, limiting their opportunities for promotion while putting the public at risk.
Some fire and rescue services, including Manchester, have already abandoned the scheme.
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service must drop Direct Entry and focus on promoting the talent in its own ranks.
Why we oppose the scheme
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It does not make use of existing talent. It takes three years training for someone with no fire service experience to qualify as Station Manager. By comparison, a serving watch manager can be assessed in a single day and be promoted to the role immediately.
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It is a waste of public money. The average cost of training an inexperienced Station Manager hired through Direct Entry would be £163,136 over three years, with no operational cover during this time. This would pay for two trainee firefighters over the same period of time.
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It contradicts the recommendations in His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) latest report. The report recommends that Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service “should have robust and meaningful performance management arrangements in place for their staff and that “all staff should be supported to meet their potential”.
