NI Conservatives’ DHSSPS spokesman, Councillor Brian Dunn, has questioned Edwin Poots’ contention that the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service can be changed ‘from the top’.
“The degree to which the Fire Service has been mismanaged is only now becoming apparent”, Brian explained. “But what is absolutely clear is that a culture of mismanagement has become thoroughly engrained in the organisation over a long period of time. It would be nice to think that the new interim Chief Executive can quickly root out years of bad practices, but the likelihood is that that will not be enough.”
“There needs to be root and branch change at the management level of NIFRA, which has badly let down fire-fighters on the ground. The problems around procurement, financial wrongdoing and appointments are serious enough to require a major inquiry and action to instil a new culture of transparency and accountability.”
“The whistleblower, Linda Ford, who brought these problems to the attention of the department, was initially suspended for a year for her trouble. It should also be remembered a member of the Fire Authority was also forced to step down by Labour’s NIO minister, Des Browne, as far back as 2003, after raising problems in the Service. These management problems are fundamental, they have been allowed to go on for too long, and it will require a public inquiry to determine their extent.”