A long-serving Shropshire retained firefighter who was suspended from duty for allegedly stopping to post a letter while on a call has been reinstated.
Station officer Pete Langford, from Bridgnorth fire station, was suspended in May while an internal investigation was launched into the incident.
It followed allegations that the 61-year-old had stopped to post the letter en route to a non-emergency call.
Fire chiefs today said Mr Langford had been reinstated and that the matter was now finished with.
Mr Langford, a postman, has been a retained firefighter for 35 years. His wife Brenda today said he was still keen to work for the service despite the incident.
She said he was back on “modified duties” and was currently on a course which he had to pass before he can return to full duty.
She said: “They have reinstated him but haven’t told him anything else but it all seems to have been swept under the carpet. No-one is telling us anything.”
Mrs Langford added: “He was been away from duty for a few months so he is now having to resit all of his courses before he is back on full duty.
“They’ve reinstated him but he is on modified duties until all the courses are done which means he is just in the station.
“The support he has had has been fantastic. He is dedicated to his job. It did hurt him. He wasn’t the same for weeks but he is back and it won’t beat him.”
Shropshire’s chief fire officer Alan Taylor said Mr Langford had been reinstated but would not confirm whether he had been subject to disciplinary action. Mr Taylor said the matter was now finished with.
He said: “We had a disciplinary hearing and Mr Langford is back at Bridgnorth fire station. It was an individual matter which has been dealt with internally.”
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10 Comments
He should never have been suspended in the first place.
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The Fire Service is riddled with totally over-the-top procedures. Mr Langford has fallen foul of these. If posting a letter whilst on duty is an offence, admonish him. A suspension and investigation is absurd – I’d expect such sanctions if he had committed a violent crime. It seems that the Fire Service is more interested in PC administration, forms and quality procedures than fighting fires and saving lives. Shame.
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the guy was on duty !!!!! stopping to post a letter ???? was the letter more important than his job. he was on a call !!! whether emergency or not !!!! what would you say if an ambulance stopped to post a letter whilst en route !!! the fire service were quite right and action was taken and now its over he wont do it again im sure
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All public services are similar, believe me, the nhs is just the same, sneeze at the wrong time and you’re before judge and jury! Then they wonder why morale is so low.
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He was bringing his personal life into his work life, and he was attending a call, yeh it wasnt an emergengcy but he shouldnt go and post letters while working,if you was at work taking something to the bins you would just wonder off and do a bit of shopping or go and post a letter. He would of finished work and could of posted it then, He should of got the sack, that non-emergency call could of turned into an emergency and he was posting a letter thats why someone who went up the tree to get there cat died because he fell and the fire service were posting letters and not doing there jobs, the fire service is a team so he broke the line and let them all down.
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sack a retained fire fighter?? if some one went up a tree and got there cat and fell what an idiot.
id like to no what the call out was a non emergency if it was a cat up a tree or the like it should not have been called out in the first place
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I thought all fire fighters were over the hill and pensioned off at 55. Whats he still doing at 61?
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I dinnae nae wot all the fuss aboot a letter is for.
Its not as if they were on tha bell!
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A non emergency call could mean going to check an alarm system. Would you go off on one at a gas man on his way to service a boiler & stopping to post a letter?? How long does it take to pop a letter into a post box? Sack someone for that? What next, hang someone who stops for a Pee??? Lets get this into perspective!!! This man should never have been suspended. He was still available to answer emergency calls.
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Another example of the world going mad. Have Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service nothing better to spend their money on? The CFO should be disciplined for wasting public money.
Maybe Mr Langford was wrong to post his letter but disciplinary proceedings for that? At worst, he should have just been told not to do it again.
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