The Internal Affairs Minister has called Fire and Emergency's alleged secret-keeping “despicable”.
Brooke van Velden has lost confidence in chief executive Kerry Gregory, accusing him of actively withholding information about a serious incident for a year.
The agency has also been referred to the Serious Fraud Office.
Van Velden told Mike Hosking she doesn't have the power to sack anyone but has made her concerns clear and it's now up to the board.
She says it goes to the heart of accountability and transparency in public service, where a crown entity has breached its own law.
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