Manchester fire brigade to get new boss
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is to get a new boss in the wake of a damning report into its handling of the arena attack.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC the appointment of Jim Wallace was the start of a new beginning for the service.
The Kerslake Report into the Manchester Arena attack found that the fire brigade arrived two hours late at the scene.
The delays were blamed on risk averse senior officers which meant that the service played no meaningful role in dealing with the aftermath of the attack.
The report was commissioned by Andy Burnham who said the appointment of Mr Wallace is part of a “new beginning” that follows “a ‘root and branch’ review”.
A raft of changes are planned including a recruitment drive to fill front line services, refurbishment work at stations to improve facilities for female firefighters and new “family-friendly shift patterns”.
Mr Burnham said: “The Kerslake Review included some strong recommendations for GMFRS and it has undoubtedly been a difficult time.
“But it has responded in the right way and turned a corner in recent weeks.
“In particular, the dedication and commitment shown tackling the major moorland fires is something of which GMFRS and its firefighters should be incredibly proud.”
He added that he wanted to “build a modern fire service that gets the best out of people and always puts the front line first”.
Mr Wallace, helped to transform the fire service in Northern Ireland and created a unified service in Scotland, said he was “delighted” to take up the role.
He will replace interim boss Dawn Docx who took over following the retirement of Peter O’Reilly.
