Consider rewarding the courage and imperturbability of this Officer as he was confronted with the largest fire in an occupied dwelling in this country since World War Two with official recognition of his positive contribution to the outcome of this incident.
Why is this important?
On arrival, Watch Commander Dowden was confronted with what should have been an ordinary flat fire. He and his crew were fully conversant with the techniques that would have allowed them to deal with such an incident. It quickly became apparent, however, that this was no ordinary incident. The defective cladding that had been installed around the block allowed the fire to spread rapidly and engulf the entire building. No-one could have imagined that such a scenario would ever occur in the UK.
Watch Commander Dowden was in sole charge of this incident for over an hour before a Senior Officer arrived to take over. His performance far exceeded what would normally been expected of an Officer of his rank. It was only Watch Commander Dowden's actions on arrival and subsequently until his relief that prevented the death toll from being much higher.
