Oliver Lee says the service has been beset by tragedy, but was not scandal-ridden as The Sun claimed.
The head of West Midlands Fire Service has responded angrily to a report in a national newspaper which called the organisation "scandal-ridden".
The news conference at the WMFS headquarters in Birmingham was called following the death of Ian Revell at Oldbury fire station early on Monday. Mr Lee told reporters Mr Revell's death followed the deaths of five other people in the service over the past 10 weeks. He said his own appointment had followed the "unutterable tragedy" of the death of the former chief officer Wayne Brown.Mr Lee added an inquest into Mr Brown's death was ongoing.
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