The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has raised serious concerns over the appointment of a new Chief Fire Officer for Buckinghamshire who does not have firefighting experience.
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has announced that the service will be led by an appointee selected from the police force instead of the fire service. The FBU has raised concerns that this “undermines both public safety and trust”.
This follows a report by the inspectorate uncovering leadership concerns within the service, finding it “overly reliant” on neighbouring services and “inadequate” at protecting the public through fire regulation.
On December 6, Bucks firefighters will hold a rally in Milton Keynes, calling on the fire authority for urgent investment in the fire service.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union executive council member for the Southern region, said:
Firefighting is a humanitarian profession. It is essential that it remains separate from the police, and this separation is critically undermined by the appointment of police to run the service.
On an operational level, we are deeply concerned that the new Chief Fire Officer will have no experience of fighting fires – a technical job which takes years of on-the-job learning.
This appointment undermines both public safety and public trust.
The Fire Brigades Union has met with Buckinghamshire Fire Authority to outline our concerns. Local brigade officials will continue to work constructively to facilitate public safety across the county, and will continue to make our position clear.”
