A three-day inquest has opened into the death of West Midlands Fire Service’s former chief officer
WMFS Chief Fire Officer Wayne Brown whose inquest is taking place this week(Image: Birmingham Mail)
An inquest into the tragic death of former fire chief Wayne Brown opened in Birmingham today with a heartbreaking tribute from his distraught son Kai.
Mr Brown, 54, was found dead at home last year. He had been under pressure at the time following a lengthy and persistent period of complaints and harassment, Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard, while he was under formal investigation into whether he had falsified details on his CV.
His death triggered intense scrutiny around the circumstances.
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Mr Brown was the first black fire chief in the country, and had been promoted to the top job in the West Midlands in 2023.
A full inquest into his death is under way, led by chief coroner Louise Brown.
In his tribute, son Kai said his father was born and raised in south-east London and was quickly identified by his teachers as a ‘born leader’. He loved sports and worked hard, first getting a job setting up a fruit and veg stall in a local market and later working in McDonald’s while continuing to study at school.
He decided to join the fire brigade aged 23, and rapidly rose through the ranks. He was also a semi-professional footballer for Welling and Enfield.
“Wayne worked his way up through the ranks, achieved the first black chief in the fire service in the UK, and was an inspiration to many. Wayne was loved and respected,” he said.
“He took a lot of pride in his appearance and loved clothes…he liked to look sharp….Wayne had an excellent work ethic, and only settled for the highest standards possible,” he said.
He added he loved spending time with his son and daughter and took his mother out often, and loved her Jamaican cooking.
“We will forever be proud of him and he leaves a void in our lives which will never be filled.”
Mr Brown leaves a mother, son, daughter, partner and her two children and a wide extended family and network of friends and colleagues.
Tributes have been paid to fire chief Wayne Brown after he was tragically found dead at his home in Birmingham (Image: PA )
Coroner Ms Brown had earlier advised that her role was to establish the cause, intention and circumstances around the death of the fire chief.
“It is very important for me to be clear that it will not be within the scope of this inquest to determine whether any allegations made by Mr Brown (about harassment) are true or not. Their only relevance to the inquest is whether Mr Brown’s belief in the matters he alleged impacted upon his state of mind.”
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The senior investigating officer Det Insp Michelle Cordell, who attended Mr Brown’s home, said he had been found dead. Police had been asked to carry out checks as there had been some worrying media reports the day before (about the CV allegations), she said. The alarm was raised when Mr Brown failed to turn up to work.
Police officers forced entry and discovered Mr Brown already dead. There were ‘no signs of third party involvement’ in the death, she said.
Two letters were found at the property, one addressed to a family member and one to West Midlands Police.
The inquest continues.