The Fire Brigades Union has responded to the announcement of Northamptonshire PFCC Stephen Mold’s preferred candidate for chief fire officer.
Northamptonshire’s Police Fire and Crime Commissioner has selected Nikki Watson, a recently retired Deputy Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police.
This follows Mold’s controversial appointment of interim chief fire office Nicci Marzec in July, who resigned after two weeks following public outcry at her lack of operational firefighting experience.
The appointment is now subject to the outcome of a Police, Fire and Crime Panel confirmation hearing that will take place in December 2023.
Adam Taylor, FBU executive council member for the East Midlands said:
Once again, PFCC Stephen Mold appears intent on appointing a chief fire officer who doesn’t have the necessary experience.
We need our chief fire officer to have practical experience of keeping firefighters and the public safe when responding to fires, floods and other callouts.
The fire service is entirely separate from the police force and must not treated as an afterthought.
In July, Mold appointed an interim chief fire officer with no operational experience, who was forced to resign after two weeks. Firefighters and the public are already furious that he has been able to act with impunity. This is more than insulting – it is dangerous.
It’s clear that this chaos will continue until we can take the power out of the hands of one unaccountable individual and give it back to a democratic fire authority.”
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
Stephen Mold is trying to take the fire service back one hundred years to the failed model of police fire brigades. Every decision he takes seems to further confirm his lack of competence to oversee the fire and rescue service. His insistence on promoting unqualified senior managers is untenable and endangers public safety.
Firefighting is a humanitarian profession, entirely different to policing. To do their jobs effectively, firefighters must command the respect of communities, and appointing police to lead the fire and rescue service undermines public trust."
