FOI release
FOIA - LFB Policy, Pay and allowance frameworks
Case reference FOI2026/00637
Received 15 May 2026
Published 16 July 2026
Request
To support clarity and ensure I fully understand the organisational position, please provide the following information for the last three years, covering all departments and directorates, including but not limited to: Prevention and Protection, Operations, Control, Training, and all Support Services. 1. Organisation Wide Acting Up and Temporary Promotion Records For all departments listed above and any other relevant directorates: - An anonymised list of all staff who have acted up into Station Commander posts or equivalent roles/positions, regardless of whether they were temporarily promoted to SC rank. - Their substantive rank/grade at the time of acting up. - The department they were acting up within. - The duration of each acting up period. - Whether the acting up was continuous or intermittent. - Whether the acting up was formally recorded under policy. - The criteria used to select each individual for acting up. OFFICIAL – Sensitive - Whether any individuals acted up without holding the required operational competence. Non Operational Acting Up (FRS D → FRS E) - Confirmation of all instances where non operational staff have acted up from FRS D to FRS E, including: - their substantive grade - the criteria used - whether FRS E is treated as the non operational equivalent of Station Commander - whether operational competence, IC1 or IC2 were required - the pay level applied - whether this is applied consistently across departments 2. Pay and Allowances (All Departments) - Confirmation of the pay level applied to each Station Commander post or equivalent role/position, regardless of whether the individual was temporarily promoted to SC rank. - Confirmation of whether any individuals placed into SC posts or equivalent roles were paid at or around £72,000, and the criteria used to determine this level. 5% SRA - Confirmation of all instances where a 5% Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) has been used as an alternative to acting up or temporary promotion, including: - the roles / positions it was applied to - the substantive rank/grade of the individuals receiving it - whether the 5% uplift is linked to competence, responsibility, or simply being “temporary” - whether the 5% uplift is used consistently across departments 5% Uplift for Temporary Team Leaders - Confirmation of all instances where temporary Team Leaders receive a 5% uplift, including: - their substantive rank/grade OFFICIAL – Sensitive - whether they hold full Station Officer competence, only competent incident Command level 1 or not holding incident Command level 1/ competency to ride - whether Station Officer competence is required for the 5% uplift, or whether it is applied regardless of competence level - the criteria used to determine eligibility for the 5% uplift 7% Uplift for Rotational Staff - Confirmation of all instances where a approx. 7% uplift has been applied to Firefighters rotating into Prevention and Protection (e.g., 6 weeks Prevention/Protection / 2 weeks Ops), including: - the roles / positions receiving this uplift - the substantive rank of the individuals - the criteria used to determine eligibility for the 7% uplift - whether this uplift is used consistently across the organisation Departmental Variations - Any departmental variations in temporary promotion pay, SRA usage, uplift percentages, or acting up mechanisms. - The policy or guidance used to determine pay for temporary roles / positions, including the use of SRAs and uplift percentages as acting up mechanisms. 3. Team Leader / Equivalent Roles / Positions Across the Organisation Please provide the following information for all departments: - An anonymised list of all Team Leaders or equivalent supervisory roles / positions, including their substantive rank/grade and whether they are acting up. Acting Up Eligibility - Confirmation of all staff who are currently acting up from their substantive role / position, but who are not eligible for Station Commander competent pay because they: - do not hold an operational rank - are not operationally competent - do not hold IC1 or IC2 - or do not meet the criteria for SC temporary promotion OFFICIAL – Sensitive Acting Up Levels - For these individuals, please confirm: - the acting up level they are being paid at (e.g., Sub Officer Specialist, Station Officer Specialist, FRS E) - the criteria used to determine this acting up level - the policy basis for awarding acting up pay where SC eligibility criteria are not met Deputy Team Leader (DTL) Structure - Confirmation that the Deputy Team Leader (DTL) role is an officially recognised management role with responsibility for: - conduct and discipline processes - Stage 1 performance management - day to day supervisory functions - Confirmation of the established organisational expectation for the number of DTLs per TL across all departments. - An anonymised breakdown of how many competent DTLs each TL has across the organisation. - Confirmation of any departmental variations in DTL allocation, competence requirements, or management responsibilities. 4. Training and Development Access (Organisation Wide) - The criteria for access to Station Commander development pathways. - The criteria for access to IC2 (Level 2 Incident Command) training. - A list of all staff granted access to SC development or IC2 training in the last three years, including: - their substantive rank/grade - their department - whether they were acting up at the time - Any departmental differences in access to development pathways. OFFICIAL – Sensitive 5. Workload, Staffing Models and Resource Allocation For all departments with supervisory roles / positions: - The established staffing model for each team. - The expected number of competent staff required for safe workload distribution. - Any documented decisions relating to the allocation of competent staff or deputy support roles. - Any departmental variations in staffing expectations for TL level roles / positions. 6. Relevant Policies (Organisation Wide) Please provide copies of, or links to, the following: - Acting Up Policy - Temporary Promotion Policy - Fairness and Consistency Policy - Training and Development Policy - Stress and Wellbeing Policy - Any departmental guidance relating to TL roles / positions, SC pathways, or supervisory responsibilities Purpose of this request This information is required to: - understand the organisation wide application of acting up and temporary promotion policies - ensure consistency and fairness across departments - clarify the position regarding my own role / position, workload and development pathway - support accurate record keeping and future discussions This is not a grievance. It is a request for factual information to ensure transparency and accuracy.
Response
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Documents
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