The Mayor of London, , has today appointed Andy Roe as
London’s new Fire Commissioner.
Andy Roe will take up the post as the head of London Fire
Brigade (LFB) on 1 January 2020, following a comprehensive
international recruitment process. He will be taking over from
Dany Cotton who last week announced she would be stepping down as
Commissioner at the end of December.
Andy Roe will be responsible for leading the
transformational change needed at LFB and will work closely with
the Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, , to deliver on the
recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase One report.
He will also ensure the Brigade contributes effectively in Phase
Two of the Inquiry.
The new Fire Commissioner will also lead the production of
the next London Safety Plan, which outlines everything the LFB
will do to make the capital safe – from attending and tackling
fires and being prepared to respond to a terrorist incident to
fitting smoke alarms and rescuing someone involved in a road
traffic collision.
Andy Roe brings a wealth of experience of dealing with
major incidents and having operational command of Britain’s
busiest fire and rescue service. A former British Army officer,
he has worked at London Fire Brigade since 2002, progressing
through the ranks as a firefighter - initially at Clerkenwell and
West Hampstead.
He became Assistant Commissioner in January 2017 before
stepping up as Deputy Commissioner for Operations last month. He
is responsible for LFB’s 103 fire stations and its 5,000
firefighters and staff. He had operational command for the
Croydon tram crash in 2016 and took the decision to revoke the
‘stay put’ advice minutes after becoming incident commander at
the Grenfell Tower fire.
The Mayor of London, , said: “Keeping Londoners safe
is my number-one priority and I’m determined to do everything I
can to ensure we have a fire and rescue service that is the best
in the world. Andy Roe is a hugely experienced firefighter and
I’m really pleased to have appointed him as London’s Fire
Commissioner.
“The Grenfell Tower Inquiry report made it clear there were
institutional failures that meant, while firefighters performed
with great courage and bravery, the overall response to the
disaster was not good enough, and there are significant lessons
for London Fire Brigade. I look forward to working with Andy Roe
to deliver on the Inquiry’s recommendations and to ensure the
transformation of the Brigade is carried out as effectively and
swiftly as possible.”
Andy Roe, said: “It is an enormous privilege to be offered
this opportunity to lead London Fire Brigade into a new
decade.
"My priority is to protect and serve all Londoners and make
sure the capital’s fire and rescue service is the very best it
can be.
“We have some real challenges ahead, but I’ll be working
tirelessly with the Brigade, the Mayor and London’s communities
to ensure we deliver on the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower
Inquiry report. I’m looking forward to leading the Brigade
through a period of transformation and delivering a workforce
that truly reflects the diverse city we serve.”
, London’s Deputy Mayor for
Fire and Resilience, said: “I welcome the appointment of Andy Roe
as London’s new Fire Commissioner. He is hugely experienced, both
as a firefighter and in leading the response to major incidents.
There are tough challenges ahead for the Brigade in terms of
implementing the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Andy is clear on the direction the Brigade needs to take and how
to deliver the best service possible in order to keep Londoners
safe.
“I’m truly proud of our firefighters and the Brigade and I
am confident Andy is the right person to lead them.”
- Ends –
Notes to editors:
The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by the
London Assembly’s Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning
Committee.
