A message from London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe:
On behalf of everyone at London Fire Brigade, I hope you had a safe and enjoyable Christmas. My thanks go to the thousands of firefighters, control officers, fire rescue service staff, and our blue light partners who have worked over the past fortnight to keep Londoners safe.
As I reflect on last year, it was both a challenging and important one for the Brigade. We ended the year with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services recognising the positive improvements made across the Brigade in their inspection report. This is testament to the hard work of our staff and their continued commitment to providing a world-class service to this remarkable city, underpinned by significant investment and support provided by the Mayor of London.
We saw this reflected in some of the significant incidents we attended last year, including the fire at Somerset House, as well as those at residential buildings such as the fires on Elm Road in Wembley and on Freshwater Road in Dagenham. These also served as important reminders of the challenging operating environment in London, with too many buildings remaining unsafe for the people that live in them. Despite this, I was immensely proud of the exemplary response from firefighters who managed incredibly complex incidents, carried out early evacuations and rescues with remarkable professionalism and courage.
These incidents exemplify the changes that have been delivered across the Brigade since the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017. This includes introducing critical new policies, implementing improved training, and deploying new equipment. These have all strengthened our ability to respond effectively to emergencies, particularly in residential high-rise buildings.
I attended Testimony Week last January alongside colleagues, where we heard directly from the Grenfell community about their experiences, and it was important for us to listen and reflect on this. Again, in September, when the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report was published, I was struck by the dignity and courage of the Grenfell community in responding to its findings. We know there is still more to do, and we owe it to the bereaved families, the survivors and the residents of Grenfell Tower to continue learning from this tragedy.
In 2024, we implemented several key improvements to our policies and operations. We have continued to work hard to make changes following the publication of the Independent Culture Review. This includes the launch of a new Professional Standards Unit at the start of the year – a first for a UK fire and rescue service – with the express purpose of setting, monitoring, and upholding professional standards of behaviour across the organisation. We also refined our approach to automatic fire alarm responses, enabling firefighters to spend more time and resources on critical priorities like fire prevention and advanced operational training.
Looking ahead, we will not be complacent. Change is at the heart of how the Brigade operates today and our commitment is that we will remain a listening, learning and leading organisation. On behalf of everyone at London Fire Brigade, I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy New Year.