STAFFORDSHIRE’S Chief Fire Officer has been leading work to put more wellbeing support in place for senior leaders following the death of “a dear friend and colleague”.
Former West Midlands Fire Service Chief Fire Officer Wayne Brown was just 54 when he was found dead at his home last year.
An inquest into his death opened at Birmingham Coroner’s Court on Monday (19th May).
A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service public performance meeting this week heard that some senior leaders nationally had struggled to obtain support when needed – but that action was now being taken to improve access.
The county’s Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber described Mr Brown as “a dear friend and colleague”. He added:
“That inquest is running this week and some of the comments made by the coroner really struck a chord.
“There appears to be a lack of support for senior leaders. We spend a lot of time making sure everybody in our organisation has the appropriate wellbeing support, whether that’s from a physical or mental health perspective, and our jobs are significant roles we hold.
“There has been an identification throughout the sector that many senior leaders have been struggling in terms of being able to access support when required. The National Fire Chief’s Council put together a group and I have chaired that group.
“We have developed a number of support documents that provide an opportunity for senior leaders to understand how to access support, when to get that professional support and help – and it has to be in that confidential environment.
“Also, the Fire Fighters Charity are really supporting that work well with us. It’s a clear gap – some fire and rescue services hadn’t got policies in place to support the most senior of leaders.
“Hopefully some positive can come out of a tragedy such as Wayne’s passing. That will be a good thing for the sector.”
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams said:
“I am really supportive of the National Fire Chief’s Council’s focus on the issue of the mental health and wellbeing of the sector’s senior leaders.
“We need to attract and retain the most talented leadership in the fire and rescue sector, but unfortunately leaders quite often find themselves subjected to inexcusable and unwarranted personal abuse.
“During these times, the support of their peers or a professional network is vital. A key part of the wider cultural work underway within the fire and rescue service is to make this kind of personal attack less prevalent in the future and to reinforce the message that the wellbeing of every employee within the service is imperative.”
At the start of the meeting, the Chief Fire Officer also offered his condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of three people who died in a blaze at an Oxfordshire business park last week.
Firefighters Martyn Sadler and Jennie Logan lost their lives alongside father-of-two Dave Chester.
Mr Barber said:
“Two further firefighters have sustained significant injuries and they remain in hospital at this point – our thoughts remain with those and their families as well.
“Thoughts and prayers of everyone at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service are with our colleagues in Oxfordshire and I have offered any support we can send to their Chief Fire Officer.”