A firefighter took a selfie outside of a burning Grenfell Tower in 2017, and then used it on his Tinder profile, a London Assembly meeting has heard.
The disturbing incident was relayed to members during a meeting by Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for the North West, who carried out an independent review of the London Fire Brigade.
Mr. Afzal said in a statement: “In the immediate aftermath of Grenfell, after the fire had just been raging, a male firefighter had a selfie taken of himself outside the building, which he then used as his Tinder profile. He was quickly told to get rid of it and was subsequently given—I understand—words of warning… How did he feel entitled to do that? Why did he feel entitled to do that when 72 lives had been lost in the building, including 18 children?”
The review also concluded that there were “dangerous levels of ingrained prejudice against women” and racism within the service, which was put into special measures in December.
A spokesperson for the London Fire Brigade said: “In 2018, the brigade took disciplinary action against a member of staff who used an entirely inappropriate photograph on a dating profile. We understand how devastating this would be for the Grenfell community and apologise sincerely for his behaviour.”
The fire at the residential tower block in North Kensington, West London, on June 14, 2017, killed 72 people and triggered a public inquiry.
