The general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, Matt Wrack, has written to Fire Minister Chris Philp requesting a government response to a fiasco around the appointment of an interim Chief Fire Officer for Northamptonshire.
Nicci Marzec resigned from the role this Monday after just 10 days in post. She was appointed by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold, despite the fact that she lacked any operational firefighting experience, and without adequate consultation with the county's PFCC scrutiny panel.
The Fire Brigades Union has since called for Stephen Mold’s resignation.
The text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Chris,
I assume you have been made aware of the recent events in Northamptonshire, relating to the PFCC, Stephen Mold, and the appointment of an interim Chief Fire Officer, Nicci Marzec. The incident has been chaotic. It has, at best, reflected very poorly on decision making by the PFCC but also on the governance arrangements for fire and rescue within Northamptonshire.
The previous CFO, Mark Jones, resigned after just nine months into a three-year contract. Even this raises questions about that appointment process and earlier decision making by the PFCC. However, things worsened considerably when the PFCC announced the appointment of Nicci Marzec as interim CFO, claiming that legal advice suggested he had the power to do so without wider scrutiny.
Mr Mold claimed the urgency in this decision arose because of imminent Formula 1 motor racing events at Silverstone. This was claimed despite the fact that Ms Marzec has no fire and rescue service operational experience and that operational plans were already in place.
While I have no personal knowledge of the individuals concerned, I am aware that questions have been asked about personal and professional relationships involved and whether the interim appointment was appropriate. I understand this is a matter of some considerable political and press interest locally. Local communities certainly have the right to have confidence that such decisions are being made on the best professional grounds, are made without favour and are above criticism. This is reflected in code of ethics set out by Northamptonshire PFCC and reflected more widely in the fire and rescue service. Sadly, such standards appear not to have been met in this case.
These events have created considerable disquiet among employees of the fire and rescue service, considerable media interest and something of a local scandal. They do not reflect well on the PFCC and his decision making nor on the systems of scrutiny in place under the PFCC model.
Ms Marzec has now resigned after just a few days in role. The situation is obviously chaotic and embarrassing. I would like to know whether you intend to do anything to address this mess, which has brought shame and embarrassment to the wider fire and rescue service.
I look forward to your response.
Yours sincerely
Matt Wrack
General Secretary
