London Fire Brigade has returned some of its rank structure and officer roles to what it once was. The move follows a vote by members of the Fire Brigade Union in the London region.
Some years ago, the rank roles and officer roles of fire personnel were changed, however there was some resistance over the years to the changes.
The structural change will affect the ranks of Crew Manager, Watch A Manager and Watch B Manager. These will revert to their former rank titles as Leading Firefighter, Sub-Officer and Station Officer respectfully. A full list and outline of the current rank structure at London Fire Brigade is listed below.
Pic: (London Fire Brigade)
London Fire Brigade has said the change programme will require a substantial amount of work and time to fully implement, as it affects all areas of the brigade. In a statement, LFB said ‘We’ve listened to our staff and will now begin the process of a new watch structure and officer roles’.
LFB is the second largest fire authority in the UK and has a staff level of almost 6,000 personnel operating from 103 fire stations from within 5 fire brigade divisions.
Many questions are being asked about the projected change and LFB has said that ‘a project team will try and address any points raised and we will communicate more when we have it.’
London Fire Brigade’s updated rank structure.
Pic: (Emergency Times)
Current rank titles, their roles and responsibilities:
Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning (Chief Fire Officer)
The Brigade’s principal officer. Responsible for the overall running of the organisation.
Deputy Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning
Responsible for the day-to-day running of the Brigade’s operational workforce.
Assistant Commissioner
Assistant Commissioners are senior officers responsible for community fire safety, service delivery, operational response, operational planning, statutory fire safety and training and development.
Area Manager
Previously senior divisional officer. Responsible for day-to-day management of an area of fire brigade operations or policy.
Group Manager
Previously divisional officer. Responsible for management of a group of fire stations or day-to-day work in a specific policy area.
Station Manager
Previously assistant divisional officer. Responsible for management of a fire station or day-to-day work in a specific policy area.
Watch Manager B – (Changed to Station Officer)
Previously station officer. In charge of the watch at larger fire stations. Carries out day-to-day fire-fighting and fire safety work or junior work in policy areas.
Watch Manager A – (Changed to Sub-Officer)
Previously sub officer. In charge of the watch at smaller fire stations or the crew of a fire appliance. Carries out day-to-day fire-fighting and fire safety work.
Crew Manager – (Changed to Leading Firefighter)
Previously leading firefighter. In charge of the crew of a fire appliance at many stations. Carries out day-to-day fire-fighting and fire safety work.
Firefighter
Carries out day-to-day fire-fighting and fire safety work.
Pic: (London Fire Brigade)
Follow Emergency Times on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Snapchat @emergencytimes
