Former Army Officer Becomes New London Fire Chief

A former British Army officer has been appointed as the new London Fire Brigade commissioner.

Andy Roe is set to replace Dany Cotton after it was announced she would be stepping down following criticism over the brigade's response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster.

The former Army captain, who takes on his new role in the New Year, made the decision to abandon the "stay put" advice minutes after becoming incident commander on 14 June 2017.

Calling for Ms Cotton's resignation, one bereaved family member said: "Andy Roe saved lives."

The former soldier has worked for the London Fire Brigade since 2002, progressing through the ranks as a firefighter.

He became assistant commissioner in January 2017 - the position he held on the night of the fire - before being appointed as deputy commissioner for operations last month.

The first report from the Grenfell Inquiry found that the fire service's preparation for a tower block fire such as Grenfell was "gravely inadequate" and its lack of an evacuation plan was a "major omission".

Inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said more lives could have been saved in the June 2017 fire had the policy of "stay put" been abandoned sooner.

Mr Roe, who gave evidence at the Grenfell Inquiry, said he would be "working tirelessly" to deliver the recommendations of the report and said it was an "enormous privilege" to lead the service. 

Cover Image: Andy Roe (Picture: London Fire Brigade).