Fire authority makes interim appointment as 'inappropriate messages' investigation continues
An interim chief fire officer for the county has been appointed while an investigation into allegations of 'inappropriate messages' shared by senior staff takes place.
Shropshire Fire Authority held an extraordinary meeting behind closed doors this afternoon to discuss senior staffing arrangements amid the fallout from reports first aired by ITV.
The authority agreed to appoint Sam Burton, who is currently an area manager at West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), as interim assistant chief fire officer (ACFO).
She will take up the post at the end of this month, and will work alongside ACFO Guy Williams.
The fire authority said the move would "add senior capacity into the leadership team".
It comes after Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) confirmed that neither the chief fire officer Simon Hardiman, or his deputy Adam Matthews, who were at the centre of the ITV report, are currently at work.
A statement from the fire authority said: "Sam is an experienced officer and has recently returned to WMFS from a secondment to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, where she undertook the role of assistant chief fire officer responsible for people and business transformation.
"She has considerable operational experience particularly around the management of health and safety during a wide range of major incidents and significant events.
"She was Silver Commander for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, leading the planning, delivery and response to ensure a ‘safe and secure family games’."
Speaking after her appointment ACFO Burton said that the focus would be on ensuring the service continues to "deliver excellence" for the county.
She said: "I’m delighted to be joining colleagues at SFRS. Whilst I understand the service is going through a difficult time I’m committed to ensuring this doesn’t define us or impact on how we deliver excellence in Shropshire.
"I know I will be working alongside a wonderful team who work day in, day out to put Shropshire people first."
Councillor David Minnery, chair of the Fire Authority, said: “I’m really very pleased that Samantha has agreed to join us at SFRS. Her experience and focus on delivery will be a tremendous boost for the organisation at what is a challenging time for the service.”
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has previously said that an independent and external investigation is taking place into the allegations over the messages.
