London Fire Brigade commissioner Dany Cotton has told the Grenfell Tower inquiry she would not change anything about the brigade's response to the 2017 disaster, a statement that has angered survivors and bereaved families. Despite evidence of equipment failures and communication issues, Cotton defended her firefighters' performance.
Cotton described the fire as as unexpected as 'a space shuttle landing on the Shard,' and said it would have been impossible to prepare for such an unprecedented blaze. She acknowledged knowing about cladding fire risks nine months before the fire but argued that building inspectors and designers bore responsibility for building safety.
Survivors and relatives expressed dismay at Cotton's remarks. Natasha Elcock, chair of Grenfell United, called the comments 'heartbreaking and disrespectful,' while survivor Tiago Alves warned that if nothing needed to change, the brigade would not be prepared for another similar incident.
Cotton arrived at Grenfell at 2:49am on 14 June 2017, by which time the fire was out of control. She said she did not take command because she was satisfied with the firefighting plan, though she could not recall her last training in operational incident command.
