West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority has appointed Wayne Brown as our new Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO).
Wayne will join us from London Fire Brigade (LFB) and is in his 28th year of service.
A vastly experienced strategic manager, he is also an experienced ‘gold’ incident commander and has attended some of the UK’s most significant operational incidents, including terrorist attacks and the devastating Grenfell Tower fire.Wayne said: “I am honoured and humbled to be selected by the Fire Authority’s Appointments Committee as the new Deputy Chief Fire Officer for West Midlands Fire Service.
“I am excited at the opportunity to work with Authority members, the Chief Fire Officer, the fantastic staff, partners and the community to ensure we continue our journey of transformation while continuing to contribute to making the West Midlands safer, stronger and healthier.”
Phil Loach, our Chief Fire Officer, said: “We are very much looking forward to working with Wayne, who will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the role.”
Councillor Greg Brackenridge, Chair of West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “All of the candidates performed to a very high standard in what was a highly competitive process. We congratulate Wayne on his well-deserved appointment and welcome him to the organisation.”
Wayne has worked across the breadth of LFB’s prevention, protection and response business areas, as well as leading on collaboration between ‘blue light’ agencies, Incident Management and Operational Assurance.
He continues to contribute to national workstreams, including a National Operational Guidance review of Incident Command and National Operational Learning.
He is also an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion champion.
Wayne has qualifications in Business Administration, Project Management, Leadership and Management and has completed the Executive Leadership Programme.
He is a former professional footballer and a current UEFA football coach, qualified to coach at English Championship League level. He has managed both London and England fire service football teams and is currently Chair of the England Fire Service football section. He also enjoys boxing and playing golf.
The appointment of our new DCFO follows the retirement of Phil Hales from the role, after nine years with West Midlands Fire Service, earlier this summer.
Wayne Brown is expected to take up his role in November 2019.