One of Greater Manchester's highest ranking fire officers has lost an appeal against his dismissal. Assistant County Fire Officer, Dave Keelan, who earned £130,000 a year, was suspended by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on November 22nd while an investigation took place into an "internal complaint".
A full disciplinary hearing took place in March heard by the Deputy Chief Fire Officer of GMFRS, Ben Norman, and Mr Keelan was sacked with immediate affect. The decision to proceed to a full disciplinary hearing followed an investigation by a senior officer from the Tyne and Weir Fire Service who was commissioned by GMFRS to carry out an inquiry.
This month Mr Keelan activated his right to appeal against the decision, which was heard by Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel. But in a statement issued to the Manchester Evening News a GMFRS spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a senior officer has been dismissed from the organisation following a disciplinary process. An appeal process has concluded and the dismissal upheld.” GMFRS has not revealed, so far, the nature of the complaint against Mr Keelan.
READ MORE: Bitter dispute ends as Greater Manchester's firefighters agree to respond to terror attacks
Based at fire service HQ in Pendlebury, Mr Keelan was until recently responsible for Operations. This includes being in charge of fire engines, kit, and operational policy and procedure including the service's plans to deal with a terrorism attack, and multi-agency working at incident. The post is now called Director of Service Support but includes broadly the same responsibilities
He was first suspended at the end of last year. In December, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has suspended a senior member of staff following an internal complaint. A full investigation is currently underway - it would not be appropriate to disclose further details at this time."
At his home in south Manchester, Mr Keelan, when asked last year if he would like to comment about his suspension, said: "Not at the moment". His suspension came a week after a new report concluded Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service remains unprepared to respond effectively to a terrorist attack, four years after the Arena bombing.
The organisation also needs to do more to protect the public, according to government inspectors. But the county's fire chief and deputy mayor have hit back, insisting the service does have the capability to respond to a terrorist strike.
Mr Keelan, according to the service's website, had overall responsibility for operational activity, and was responsible for operational policy and training, operational support, resilience and contingency planning and operational assurance and performance. Since he joined GMFRS he worked as Head of Prevention, Head of Operational Training, as a borough manager and led a team investigating the tragic death of firefighter Stephen Hunt at an operational incident in Oldham Street Manchester in July 2013.
He represented GMFRS on the Greater Manchester Resilience Forum, was the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) North West Operations Resilience Committee and represented the North West on the National NFCC Operations Coordination Committee.
In July last year he was the most senior GMFRS serving fire officer who gave evidence at the Manchester Arena Inquiry and apologised for the fire service's 'woeful and unacceptable response' to the bombing on the night. He addressed bereaved families and all those who were injured and continue to be affected by the atrocity from the witness stand.
The fire service, he said emotionally, let down the public. "Personally, and on behalf of GMFRS, I apologise for our woeful and unacceptable response to that incident. We let you down when you needed us the most."
Mr Keelan spoke of the structure - and stated purposes - of the fire service in Greater Manchester. One was 'to save, protect and improve the lives of people in Greater Manchester', the inquiry heard.
