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Deputy Chief Fire Officer Stewart Forshaw has been suspended pending an investigation into a historical social media post. The CFO said she had recently been made aware of the post “allegedly linked” to her deputy.
Writing an update on Saturday night, CFO Dawn Docx said: “Following an initial review of the post in question, I took the precautionary step yesterday evening of suspending the Deputy while a full and fair investigation takes place.”
The service did not provide any detail about the content of the post or when it was posted, although ITVX reported the post dated back to 2012.
CFO Docx said she wanted to reassure the communities of North Wales that: “we remain fully committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and trust in our Service.”
DCFO Forshaw joined North Wales Fire and Rescue Service in 2022 after moving from Greater Manchester but spent most of his career in Cheshire. His current role includes responsibility for training, health and safety, prevention and protection as well as equality and diversity and culture.
Along with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, North Wales is subject to an independent cultural review being carried out by Crest Advisory. This comes after an independent review into the culture of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service that was published in January 2024 that found the service to be “toxic” and led to the dismissal of the fire authority and the early retirement of the former chief.
Ending her brief statement posted in the service’s website on Saturday, CFO Docx said: “Transparency and accountability are at the heart of everything we do, and we will address this matter with the seriousness it deserves”
She said that there would be further comment “as we follow due process.”
Read more about the cultural review taking place North Wales.
