On Wednesday 29th November, firefighters will travel from Northamptonshire to Westminster to raise serious concerns over fire service “chaos” caused by combining police force and fire service governance.
Firefighters have raised the alarm following the conduct of Northamptonshire’s police fire and crime commissioner (PFCC), Stephen Mold. The PFCC has now twice selected a chief fire officer with no operational firefighting experience to lead the service, despite public outcry.
Fire Brigades Union representatives will be holding a meeting in Parliament on Wednesday. Shadow fire minister Alex Norris has accept an invitation to attend, and firefighters are urging fire minister Chris Philp to follow suit to hear their concerns directly.
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary said:
The Fire Brigades Union urges Chris Philp to accept the invitation to meet with firefighters from Northamptonshire, and to engage with their serious concerns around the governance of their fire service.”
Adam Taylor, FBU executive council member for the East Midlands said:
Northamptonshire firefighters have been raising the alarm around the governance of their fire service for months. We’re now bringing the message to Westminster directly and calling upon the fire minister to intervene in the chaos.
It is crucial that our service retains the trust of the public and treats our frontline firefighters with respect. Police fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold should have resigned months ago but has been allowed to act with impunity.
This scandal is the result of the PFCC model, a failed experiment in fire service governance. We must have democratic oversight of our services.”
