Andy Roe | |
|---|---|
 Commissioner Roe being questioned by the London Assembly in 2022 | |
| Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade | |
| In office January 2020 – June 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Dany Cotton |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Smith |
| Member of the House of Lords-Designate | |
| Life peerage TBD | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1974 (age 51) |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University (BA) |
| Profession | Military officer and firefighter |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch/service | British Army |
| Years of service | 1996–2000 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | 12th Regiment Royal Artillery |
Andrew Dudley Roe KFSM (born July 1974[1]) is a former British Army officer and former Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade.[2] He was given a life peerage as part of the 2025 Political Peerages.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Andy Roe grew up in London and graduated from Newcastle University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]In 1997, Roe was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and joined the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant.[4] During his time as an officer, he served as a troop commander and a battery captain and served two tours in Northern Ireland.[5] During his time in Northern Ireland, he was wounded when a pipe bomb was thrown at him, which also severely injured an RUC officer stood next to Roe.[6] The officer died after spending four weeks on a life support machine. As a captain, he transferred his commission to the Army reserve in April 2000.[7]
In 2002, Roe joined the London Fire Brigade as a firefighter[8] and in January 2017 was appointed as Assistant Commissioner.[9]
During the Grenfell Tower fire, Roe was appointed incident commander where he revoked the controversial 'stay put' advice to the residents.[10] As the first commissioner appointed since the fire, Roe issued a plea to the residents of London's 7,000 high rise blocks to set aside any 'post-Grenfell doubts continue to follow firefighters’ advice in the event of a blaze.'[11]
On 28 January 2020, Roe became the first LFB commissioner to sign the Armed Forces Covenant with the British Armed Forces.[12]
Roe was awarded the King's Fire Service Medal (KFSM) in the 2024 New Year Honours.[13]
Roe resigned as the Commissioner for the London Fire Brigade on 30 June 2025 after 23 years of service as a firefighter.[14] Following his resignation from the LFB, Roe was named the non-executive chair of a newly formed shadow board within the Building Safety Regulator.[15]
Awards and honours
[edit]
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
|
King's Fire Service Medal (KFSM) | |
|
General Service Medal (1962) |
|
|
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
|
|
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal |
|
|
King Charles III Coronation Medal |
|
|
Fire and Rescue Service Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
|
See also
[edit]- London Fire Brigade
- Chief Fire Officer
- London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
- Chief Fire Officers Association
References
[edit]- ^ "Andrew Dudley ROE - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "New fire chief appointed after Grenfell row". BBC News. 10 December 2019.
- ^ "Political Peerages December 2025". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ "No. 54769". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 May 1997. p. 5901.
- ^ "Andy Roe, Commissioner". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Mendick, Robert (28 November 2021). "I can't promise another Grenfell won't happen again". The Sunday Telegraph. No. 3, 154. p. 14. ISSN 9976-1874.
- ^ "No. 55823". The London Gazette (Supplement). 18 April 2000. p. 4372.
- ^ "Grenfell fire officer who ordered evacuation named new LFB chief". Inside Housing.
- ^ at 2:28pm, 11 December 2019. "Former Army Officer Becomes New London Fire Chief". Forces Network.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Andy Roe: Grenfell firefighter who revoked 'stay put' policy is new London Fire Brigade boss". Sky News.
- ^ "New London fire chief's first job: to say sorry over Grenfell". Evening Standard. 5 March 2020.
- ^ "FSM MAGAZINE - LFB fire commissioner signs covenant with UK Armed Forces". www.fsmatters.com.
- ^ "Supplement 64269". The London Gazette. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
- ^ "London Fire Commissioner retires after 23 years of service". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "Ex-London Fire Brigade commissioner to help lead building safety regulator". Yahoo News. 30 June 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.