Grenfell inquiry hears how key messages were not sent to watch manager Michael Dowden

Michael Dowden was the first London Fire Brigade incident commander on the scene at Grenfell Tower on the night of the fire
PA
Alexandra Richards27 June 2018

The watch manager on duty on the morning of the Grenfell Tower fire has said he “does not remember” receiving crucial information during the first half hour of the blaze, despite individual firefighters radioing it it.

Michael Dowden, the watch manager who served as incident commander until 2am on June 14 2017, said he had no direct contact with firefighters inside the building up to 1.30am.

Messages were supposed to be relayed to him on the ground floor from officers at the "bridgehead" - a safe air space two floors below the flat on fire - but few arrived, the inquiry heard.

On Wednesday, the lead lawyer for the inquiry into the disaster took Mr Dowden through messages that his colleagues claimed had been sent.

It included news that firefighter Justin O'Beirne had moved above the flat of origin - on the fourth floor - up to the floors above.

Victims of the Grenfell Tower fire

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Richard Millett QC said: "(Crew manager Christopher) Secrett says he did have messages from firefighter Mr O'Beirne reporting internal fires on the sixth and seventh floor and had heard a radio message from him - is that something Mr Secrett passed on to you?"

Mr Dowden replied: "That related back to information that fire-fighter O'Beirn had and when I was incident commander I don't remember receiving that traffic."

Mr Millett continued: "Did crew manager Secrett tell you that firefighters (Jamal) Stern and (Richard) Hippel looked 'spooked' and there was something amiss or wrong?"

The officer replied: "I have not received that information, no."

The lawyer said: "Turning to firefighter Hippel, do you recall getting any communications about what he was finding on his own visits to the higher floors in the tower at that time in the night?"

"I don't remember receiving any traffic or information," he replied.

Michael Dowden, the watch manager who served as incident commander until 2am on the morning of the Grenfell fire
PA

Mr Millett said: "Do you recall him telling you he had found black smoke on the 16th floor?"

The officer replied: "I have no recollection if it was face-to-face or radio traffic received."

Other key messages that did not reach Mr Dowden included that the ground-floor lobby had light grey smoke in it, as well as the lobbies of the fifth and sixth floor.

There was also a report of "smoke-logging on the bridgehead on the second floor", Mr Millett said.

London Fire Brigade policy repeatedly highlights the importance of an incident commander maintaining effective communication channels, so they are "aware of the developing situation".

That night, officers using breathing apparatus communicated on channel six, while Mr Dowden received messages on channel one, the inquiry was told.

It was heard that some breathing apparatus suits had radios built into them - called breathing apparatus radio interface equipment (Barie).

Mr Millett asked: "There can be issues with the Barie suits, that's correct?"

"That's correct," Mr Dowden said, adding when asked why: "Loss of traffic, they can be unreliable."

On the night of the fire, these issues were "well known in the London Fire Brigade", he said.

"By 1.30am you had not received any direct communication with your fire-fighters that had gone into the building?" Mr Millett asked.

"From my memory, my recollection, that is correct," he replied.

He added that although he did not remember the messages, he did not seek to "discredit" his colleagues' accounts.

The firefighter left the room wiping tears from his eyes as he was asked to watch mobile phone footage shot by members of the public on the night of the disaster.

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