Many firefighters in Oxfordshire have “completely lost faith” in their senior leadership team, claims an insider who has broken ranks to reveal the rifts within the county's fire service.
The firefighter, who asked to remain anonymous over fears for his job security, alleged that the safety of frontline firefighters in Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service had been "forgotten" and raised concerns over potential plans to sell a fire station in Oxford to developers.
"As a firefighter for Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, I and many other firefighters have completely lost faith in our chief and our senior leadership team," said the firefighter, whose identity has been confirmed by the Oxford Mail.
READ MORE: 'URGENT! HELP!': Distress call as rescue centre floods 'six inches deep'
“This is due to him forgetting about the firefighters on the front line and bringing in changes that have had a detrimental impact on the service.”
In response to the criticism, chief fire officer Rob MacDougall said: “We are committed to protecting the firefighters who protect our communities.”
One claim made by the firefighter is that the service’s participation in the Direct Entry Scheme, which sees some station managers recruited without fire service experience, had made for “a weaker workforce”.
There is one recruit from the scheme in post in Oxfordshire.
Mr MacDougall defended the scheme, and claimed the three-year training programme gave recruits “appropriate operational competence.”
He added that a more traditional station manager process, open only to existing fire and rescue officers, will remain the “main stay of our leadership succession.”
But Mr MacDougall’s ideas were dismissed as “quite frankly inadequate” by the firefighter, who pointed to the proposed redevelopment of Rewley Road Fire Station as an example.
READ MORE: Oxfordshire school partially closes after flooding
The plans, which are at an early stage, would see the three-bay fire station reduced to a two-bay fire station, with the remaining areas developed for other uses.
The firefighter claimed this would “reduce the fire cover to Oxford and the people of Oxfordshire.”
“As firefighters we want this to be a positive move towards building a future proof station and training facility," they said.
“However, as mentioned we have lost faith in the senior leadership team and don’t believe they will put the firefighter first.”
In response, Mr MacDougall said: “Any proposals will ensure we maintain our average response times across Oxford, and we will consult with the public as part of this process.”
Another concern raised by the firefighter was over a “lack of action towards decontamination" in the fire service, and they said any money from the proposed sale of the Rewley Road site should be partly invested into new decontamination facilities.
They said: “He (Mr MacDougall) has done nothing towards making firefighting safer in the sense of decontamination…”
Mr MacDougall said procedures were in place to mitigate the impact of residual fire contaminants and the service was improving washing and shower facilities across its stations.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel