Frederick Delve

Sir Frederick William Delve, (28 October 1902 - 2 October 1995), was an English firefighter who became chief fire officer of the London Fire Brigade from 1948 to 1962, and was instrumental in the fire service's adoption of modern telecommunications technologies.

Early life Delve was born in Brighton, the son of a tailor, and joined the Royal Navy on his 16th birthday in 1918, working as a wireless telegraphist in the Black Sea, an experience which spawned his enthusiasm for modern telecommunications. In 1922 Delve he left the Navy and joined the Brighton Fire Brigade. He was then appointed Chief Officer of No 5 Region (covering the London area), in which role he extended use of radio communications in fire vessels along the River Thames, and was also an adviser on fire bombing. Delve and his deputy and successor, Leslie Leete, proposed control procedures that eventually became national policy, and also recommended the fitting of warning devices to breathing apparatus so that users were alerted when their oxygen supplies were running low. Delve was the first LFB chief to be knighted in office, in the 1962 Birthday Honours. After his 1962 retirement, he joined the board of Securicor.