Last week, our Uniformed Protective Services (UPS) learners received an extremely impactful guest lecture from Firefighter Richard Welch, the Lambeth Borough Commander at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire.  

Our UPS learners often aim to work in the armed forces, whether this is as a Police Officer, a Firefighter, in the Royal Army, or the Royal Navy. These are dedicated and highly disciplined careers and any first-hand experience provides our learners with a more in-depth understanding of the impact that their work can have on the community. 

Richard Welch began by outlining his experiences and progression within the Fire and Rescue profession. Richard joined the London Fire Brigade in 1996, progressing through many roles around London before finally becoming the Assistant Chief Fire Officer for Service Delivery Support at Avon Fire and Rescue Service. 

During the time of Grenfell Tower, Richard was the Lambeth Borough Commander and the head of response to this major incident. He outlined his experience from the night of the Grenfell Tower fire on the 14th June 2017 to the learners, including the procedure and protocol the firefighters followed, the number of citizens they managed to rescue, the horrendous conditions inside of the tower, and how quickly the fire spread throughout the building. 

Steve Brawley, one of our Protective Services lecturers, recognised the powerful impact of this employer engagement experience for both the learners and the staff, saying “students who, for some, are months away from their own progression into the uniformed protective services, got to hear first-hand insights into the responses and experiences of Firefighters during one of the most challenging national Major Incidents of recent times.” 

Nicola Stent, another Protective Services lecturer, also expressed her gratitude to Richard Welch, saying “I was incredibly moved by the first-hand accounts Richard shared with our learners and am so proud of the engagement, co-operation and mature questions from our learners.  

The bravery demonstrated from the emergency responders on the scene at Grenfell Tower was heroic. We are so very grateful for Richard’s insight and personal strategies of how to cope in such adverse circumstances.” 

The learners came away from the guest lecture feeling that their ambitions to enter a protective service career and make a difference was achievable and realistic with lots of advice on how to succeed and thrive in any upcoming challenges. 

Thank you to Richard Welch for taking the time to share his first-hand experiences of this horrific incident and the heroic and courageous risks him and his team take within their profession. 

If you’re interested in applying to one of our Protective Services courses, click here.