New Buckinghamshire fire chief responds to union criticism

Louise Harrison, pictured with local fire authority chairman Simon Rouse, has worked in policing for 31 years

Buckinghamshire's new chief fire officer has said she "believes she can do the job" following criticism over her appointment.

The Fire Brigades Union claimed Louise Harrison had no firefighter experience which it said "undermines both public safety and trust".

The service was recently placed under special supervision by inspectors.

Ms Harrison said she had the "right leadership skills and transferable skills" .

"I would like to think the authority took me on because they believed I could do the job," she told BBC Three Counties Radio.

"As I don't come from a fire background, I know I still have a huge amount to learn, but like to think I can bring strategic leadership to move the organisation forward."

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service was rated inadequate for public safety by inspectors

Ms Harrison worked in policing for 31 years including at the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and the Prevent counter-terrorism programme.

Her most recent role was director of operations at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), a police force dedicated to protecting the UK's power stations and nuclear materials.

"I know it's going to be a challenge and that the fire authority knew that would be a challenge too," she added.

"They've been quite progressive in bringing in some change - so judge me in 12 months."

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In November, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) failed to identify those most at risk from fire, ensure teams prioritise work according to risk and improve equality.

However, it did rank the service as "adequate" for responding to major incidents.

Ms Harrison said BFRS, which covers Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes, must provide a detailed action plan to address the issues in the report.

"Do we know where we need to do better? Of course we do. Have we got a plan to do it? Yes, we have," she said.

"There's nothing within the inspectors' report that worries me to the extent that there is massive risk there. We're still responding to incidents and have a fantastic attendance rate."

Louise Harrison asked the public to judge her in 12 months

Ms Harrison played down the special supervision status and added: "[It's] a process of inspectors saying 'look, we've assessed where we think your areas of development are and we're here to support you to achieve that'."

Ms Harrison said she was keen to meet with firefighters across the county.

Fire Brigades Union executive member for the south, Steve Wright, said "we want to see Louise progress the service, to invest in the frontline, and reverse the recent cuts" but said he was not sure "how well" she would do the role "without the fire authority and the government's backing".

The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority manages the fire service.

Fire authority chairman Simon Rouse said: "We are very much looking forward to supporting Louise in her leadership of the fire service, which plays such a vital role in protecting our communities."