FIREFIGHTERS staged a rally to demand the resignation of Northamptonshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner amid allegations that the running of the county’s fire service had descended into chaos.

The rally, outside a meeting of Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime scrutiny panel by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) on Thursday, follows the resignation of the county’s Chief Fire Officer Mark Jones.

Commissioner Stephen Mold then appointed another to the role, who resigned within days.

Two members of the scrutiny panel walked out during the meeting and were cheered by firefighters.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack has written to the government minister in charge of fire services, Chris Philp, asking him to respond to the “chaotic and embarrassing” events and calling for Mr Mold to resign or be “held to the highest account.”

The FBU said that after Mr Mold resigned “suddenly,” Mr Mold appointed a member of his own staff, Nicci Marzec, to the role — despite the fact that Ms Marzec had never been a firefighter and had no operational experience of the Fire Service.

Ms Marzec resigned as Chief Fire Officer and also quit her job at the Commissioner’s office following protests from the union and local politicians.

FBU executive council representative for the East Midlands Adam Taylor said: “Firefighters from across the region are outraged by this embarrassing fiasco.

“We will not stand for this, and the public are with us.

“We rightly expect firefighters to behave with honesty, dignity, and professionalism.

“Having the commissioner overseeing our service fail to meet any of these standards is a recipe for disaster.”

The commissioner’s office said it did not wish to respond to the Star’s request for comment.