Fire chief found dead after ‘false CV’ claims
Sympathy expressed to senior officer’s family, friends and colleagues after body found at home
A SENIOR fire service officer who was under investigation over claims he lied about his CV has been found dead at his home.
Wayne Brown, the former head of West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS), was facing allegations that he had lied about achieving a master’s degree in order to secure his £180,000-a-year job.
Police confirmed they were not treating Mr Brown’s “sudden death” yesterday as suspicious. “The man’s family is being supported by specialist officers,” a police spokesman said. Greg Bracken ride, chairman of the WMFS, said: “All our thoughts and love are with his fam- ily, friends and colleagues. We ask everyone that his family and his colleagues are given time and space.” Before his death, Mr Brown was being investigated by his bosses following claims he had lied on his online CV about achieving a Master of Business Administration degree from London South Bank University. The university said it had no record of the degree, The Sun newspaper reported.
Mr Brown, a 27-year veteran with the London Fire Brigade, took up his role as Deputy Chief Fire Officer at WMFS last year and was promoted to the head position earlier this month. However, his appointment was dogged by claims that he had falsified his qualifications.
He was also said to have lied about being a professional footballer with Charlton Athletic. The fire service had said in an earlier statement: “We are aware of claims referencing our chief fire officer ... formal enquiries ... are now ongoing.”
West Midlands Police said: “We can confirm that we attended an address in Birmingham this morning where the body of a man in his 50s was sadly found. The death is not being treated as suspicious and we are liaising with the local coroner.”
London Fire Brigade posted a tribute to Mr Brown from Fire Commissioner Andy Roe. He said: “Wayne was a valued and respected colleague in the brigade for over 20 years before joining West Midlands FRS. Our thoughts go out to Wayne’s family and friends.”
Ben Adams, Staffordshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner said word of the chief ’s death was “the most tragic news”.
“Terrible loss of a good man,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“Many in fire and rescue saw Wayne as a role model. He broke new ground and championed everything at his best in the service.”