London Fire Commissioner's New Year message

As we enter the new year, I'd like to thank our firefighters, control officers and staff for their service, working hard to keep London safe every day, particularly those who have worked throughout the Christmas period taking time away from their families.

The UK Fire and Rescue Service had a challenging year in 2025, as we experienced the tragic loss of our London Fire Brigade colleague Leading Firefighter Martyn Sadler, alongside fellow firefighter Jennie Logan, and member of the public, Dave Chester, at a warehouse fire in Bicester, Oxfordshire. Our thoughts remain with their families and friends. The loss of Martin and Jennie serves a stark reminder of the dangers and risk all firefighters face in keeping the communities we serve safe.

Last year also demonstrated many of the ways that the fire and rescue service is adapting in response to the changing nature of the risks our communities face. The abhorrent terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester, alongside other international incidents, are a reminder that we must be prepared for similar threats in London. Early in 2025, we completed the rollout of our Marauding Terrorist Attack response capability. This training allows us to fully deploy our rescue capability, alongside our partners in the police and ambulance service, when facing high threat incidents. This is an important capability for us to have ready in the most extreme scenarios London may face, and how we carry out our work in a civil defence environment.

Over the summer, we also experienced the highest number of wildfires since the extreme heatwaves of 2022. Our continued trial of four Wildfire Vehicles showed the benefit that specialist vehicles can make when responding to incidents across outer London, and we have now purchased those vehicles in recognition of this. We will continue to explore how new vehicles, equipment and tactics can ensure our crews are fully prepared to respond when facing wildfires in the summer months. Ahead of next summer, we will continue to work with local authorities across the capital, encouraging them to adopt firebreaks and land management practices that will reduce the impact of wildfires, should they occur.

We have also seen lithium batteries remain as one of the fastest growing fire risks in London. As an organisation we have worked with the Government and advised on how it can better regulate unsafe and particularly poor quality or non-compliant lithium battery products being sold on online marketplaces. In 2026, we will continue working to address the risk posed by poor quality and non-compliant batteries with our #ChargeSafe campaign, as well as working to identifying potential risks posed by other new and emerging technologies.

Our teams also continue to work with the risk presented in London's built environment, with over 1,500 buildings still having a changed evacuation strategy due to fire safety concerns.

Over the course of 2026, we will remain focused on improving and delivering a service that is fit for purpose for a modern global city. It is important that London Fire Brigade is trusted to serve and protect Londoners. As a service we need to be aware of the risks and dangers that Londoners may be facing, and work to ensure we're ready to respond. This will include making the improvements identified in the recommendations from Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry targeted at both London Fire Brigade and fire and rescue services more widely.

This year will mark 160 years since the Brigade was founded, replacing the system of private fire services that existed before us. In 1866, the Brigade only had 17 fire stations, crewed by around 500 firefighters, serving a population of around 3 million people. Today, we are the fourth largest metropolitan fire service in the world, operating 103 fire stations and around 4,000 firefighters serving a city of almost 10 million people. Across those years, the Brigade has adapted and changed to address new challenges, and 2026 will be no different.

I'd like to finish by thanking everyone who has engaged with and supported us over the past year. I wish everyone across London, on behalf of London Fire Brigade, a happy new year.