The SFE - Doc 65 Woodbridge Fireman

Z/Gen/revised
SUFFOLK FIRE SERVICE

Confidential
To: ACFO Seager
Brigade Investigating Officer

From: Gaz
Brigade Headquarters

Date: 5/6/98



SUBJECT: Near Miss Report – Sub O Wigglesworth

At approximately 1330 on 4/6/98 I was paged by Fire Control. On contacting them I was told by SFCop Parker that they had received a near miss report that required my attention/consideration. Apparently she had asked ADO fuller to deal but he, quite rightly, referred it back with a suggestion to contact myself.

I therefore visited Fire Control to be appraised of the situation.

Sub O Wigglesworth had telephoned in a near miss to Control in response to a letter he had received from Sarah Davies in which the DCFO was mentioned. Within the near miss completion Wigglesworth makes reference to harassment by the DCFO.

See attached copy of letter SHD and print out of near miss details.

My initial reaction was that this was inappropriate use of the near miss reporting procedure. I therefore instructed those Control staff present to maintain confidentiality on the subject whilst I considered the action necessary. I am confident they did.

With the assistance of Mr Cutmore the near miss was copied into a private datafile of mine and then deleted from the near miss datafile, thus removing it from the “public viewing access arena”.

I then brought the matter to the attention of the DCFO.

A letter was drafted by myself and posted first class to Wigglesworth that afternoon. The letter was seen by the HRM and DCFO before being sent.

See attached copy.

I then contacted Normanshurst to see if Wigglesworth was on duty and had completed a near miss form. I spoke with Sub O Davey who confirmed that Wigglesworth was on duty and had filled the form in. The top copy was already in post to BHQ. I then instructed Davey to gain the copy and forward to myself. I then made Davey aware of my actions re the record at BHQ. He was aware of Wigglesworths actions stating that he had been consulted by Wigglesworth, but that Wigglesworth had ignored his advice.

I received a call from Station officer parsons because Davey had asked him to remove the copy (presumably Davey did not wish to do this himself or on his own) and send to me under confidential cover. At this stage Parsons knew nothing about the near miss and had not been consulted by Wigglesworth before his actions. With ADO Hayden on A/L Parsons is Wigglesworth’s line manager.

I spoke further with Davey in response to a call from him. I gained the impression from him that the subject had not been treated confidentially at Normanshurst by Wigglesworth but have not investigated this aspect.

In addition to this I was told that Wigglesworth had already contacted Sarah Davies reference the letter sent to him and had received advice from her on how to progress the matter.

See attached E mail to DCFO from SHD.

I am reporting this matter to you, in your capacity as the Brigade investigating Officer, as I believe that Sub O Wigglesworth, in failing to follow advice given him, failing to consult his line manager and misusing the near miss reporting procedure, may have committed an offence under the Fire Services (discipline) Regulations 1985.

My own letter to him informed him of the steps I had taken.

Enclosures
Letter from SHD to Wigglesworth
Near Miss details from datafile
Letter from DO Smith to Wigglesworth
E Mail from SHD to DCFO
Copies of original accident reports
Copy of HSF2 completed by Sub O Wigglesworth