Andy Roe, who was appointed as the new London Fire Commissioner and will take up his post from 1 January, said:
“We welcome our first report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and accept their recommendations. I recognise that what’s been highlighted in the report isn’t good enough and as the new Commissioner I am committed to making the necessary improvements when I take on the position in January.
“We are already delivering some of the key improvements they have highlighted and doing everything we can to provide the best possible service to the people of London and keep them safe.
“Training our staff is a priority and we are heavily investing to make sure our firefighters have the right skills to carry out their roles effectively. We have introduced new courses, additional exercises, annual assessments for our Incident Commanders and refresher training for all of our Control staff and drivers. We are also planning a new high tech training centre in Croydon, which will include a new Real Fire Training Venue.
“We learn from every incident we attend and have introduced a range of new procedures and equipment, especially since the Grenfell Tower fire. These include fire escape hoods, drones and new technology in our Control centres.
“All of our staff are dedicated to keeping Londoners safe and they are out in the community every day saving lives. We are committed to improving how we do things and to providing the best service we can to the people of London.”