Firefighter who ended 'stay put' order at Grenfell Tower named new head of London Fire Brigade
Andy Roe must help service learn ‘significant lessons’ of tower blaze, says mayor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The firefighter who revoked the controversial “stay put” advice at Grenfell Tower has been appointed the new London Fire Brigade (LFB) commissioner.
Andy Roe made the decision just minutes after taking over the brigade’s response to the devastating fire which killed 72 people and left many more homeless in June 2017.
The public inquiry set up to investigate the fire found the “stay put” policy contributed to the death toll, while also pointing a finger at the flammable cladding around the tower block.
The former soldier became a firefighter in 2002 and became deputy commissioner for operations last month.
His appointment by Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, comes after his predecessor stepped down some months early, amid criticism of LFB’s response to the Grenfell blaze.
Dany Cotton, the capital’s first female fire chief, had been due to retire in April 2020 after 32 years of service.
Mr Roe said: ”We have some real challenges ahead, but I’ll be working tirelessly with the brigade, the mayor and London’s communities to ensure we deliver on the recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report.
“I’m looking forward to leading the brigade through a period of transformation and delivering a workforce that truly reflects the diverse city we serve.”
Mr Khan added: “The Grenfell Tower Inquiry report made it clear there were institutional failures that meant, while firefighters performed with great courage and bravery, the overall response to the disaster was not good enough, and there are significant lessons for LFB.”
The LFB said that following consultation with City Hall, it had been agreed that Ms Cotton, 50, would bring forward her retirement to the end of this year “to enable a timely handover” to the next commissioner.
She had previously resisted multiple calls for her to resign and welcomed the report’s recommendations, saying they would be “carefully and fully” considered by senior officers.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments