Firefighters rallied outside Oxfordshire County Council today, demanding that councillors reverse their decision to hire senior fire service managers with no experience of firefighting or the fire service.
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is currently advertising a role for a Station Manager in the region requiring no experience of work in the fire and rescue sector as part of a new scheme called ‘Direct Entry’.
The FBU Oxfordshire Brigade committee has condemned the scheme, and firefighters from fire stations across the region have voted to oppose it. A motion passed by FBU branches describes Direct Entry as “not the way forwards”, citing the serious risks of “watering down of our managers at an operational level” and “limiting opportunities for existing staff to progress”.
A public petition calling for Oxfordshire County Council to stop Direct Entry has gained over 500 signatures in less than 24 hours.
The FBU has also highlighted that the scheme contradicts the latest HMICFRS report on Oxfordshire’s Fire and Rescue Service, which concludes that it requires improvement when managing and developing leaders. The report recommends that the service “should have robust and meaningful performance management arrangements in place for their staff" and that "all staff should be supported to meet their potential”.
Oxfordshire is one of seven UK fire and rescue services to pilot the contested new National Fire Chief Council (NFCC) promoted scheme. Firefighters across the UK have warned against the scheme, with Greater Manchester FRS dropping it following local objections.
Steve Wright, FBU Executive Council member for the Southern Region, said:
When the worst happens and the public needs protecting from a major fire, we all assume that the firefighters responding will know how to fight a fire. However, ‘Direct Entry’ means that people with absolutely no experience of the fire service will be parachuted into crucial senior positions. Just imagine taking charge of a major operation without having ever attended one as a firefighter.
Our firefighters should be supported and trained up to develop as leaders in the service. Direct Entry just adds insult to injury by cutting opportunities while putting the public at risk. Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service must see sense and follow the example of Greater Manchester by dropping this scheme.”
