Andy Roe, Baron Roe of West Wickham
The Lord Roe of West Wickham | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Life peerage 13 January 2026 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1974 (age 51) |
| Party | Labour |
| 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, Baron Roe of West Wickham KFSM (born July 1974[1]) is a former British Army officer and former Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade.[2]
Early life and education
Andy Roe grew up in London and graduated from Newcastle University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.
Career
In 1997, Roe was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and joined the 12th Regiment Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant.[3] During his time as an officer, he served as a troop commander and a battery captain and served two tours in Northern Ireland.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]
In 2002, Roe joined the London Fire Brigade as a firefighter[7] and in January 2017 was appointed as Assistant Commissioner.[8]
During the Grenfell Tower fire, Roe was appointed incident commander where he revoked the controversial 'stay put' advice to the residents.[9] 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.'[10]
On 28 January 2020, Roe became the first LFB commissioner to sign the Armed Forces Covenant with the British Armed Forces.[11]
Roe was awarded the King's Fire Service Medal (KFSM) in the 2024 New Year Honours.[12]
Roe resigned as the Commissioner for the London Fire Brigade on 30 June 2025 after 23 years of service as a firefighter.[13] Following his resignation from the LFB, Roe was named the non-executive chair of a newly formed shadow board within the Building Safety Regulator.[14] He was nominated for a life peerage as part of the 2025 Political Peerages and he was created Baron Roe of West Wickham, of West Wickham in the London Borough of Bromley on 13 January 2026.[15][16]
Awards and honours
| 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
- London Fire Brigade
- Chief Fire Officer
- London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority
- Chief Fire Officers Association
References
- ^ "Andrew Dudley ROE - Personal Appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "New fire chief appointed after Grenfell row". BBC News. 10 December 2019.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Political Peerages December 2025". GOV.UK. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ "No. 64966". The London Gazette. 19 January 2026. p. 726.