I have just turned 40 and I suppose that is part of the reason why I’m writing this intro to my website today. Mid life crisis? Probably. Challenge of a lifetime? Definitely.
I joined the Fire & Rescue Service in 1988 and served the early part of my career in Essex (Grays, Harlow, Ongar, HQ & Clacton). I then undertook middle management roles in Royal Berkshire (Community safety, Operations Manager and Senior Fire Safety Officer) and senior management roles in Suffolk (Assistant Chief – Service Delivery), where I was first appointed as a Chief Fire Officer in 2004. As well as Chief Fire Officer, I was also appointed Director for Public Protection (Corporate Director) for Suffolk County Council. In this time, I was responsible for the Trading Standards Service, a Joint Emergency Planning Unit, Social Inclusion and Diversity as well as the Fire & Rescue Service for the County of Suffolk.
In January 2009, I took up post as the Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive of the 5th largest Fire & Rescue Service in the United Kingdom and the largest non Metropolitan Fire & Rescue Service in the Country. I am now responsible for a budget of circa £75m p.a. over 2300 members of staff and 85 fire stations covering the 1,000,000 square hectares of Devon & Somerset. Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service protects over 1.6m residents, plus the additional 0.5m people who visit each year.
I report to the Devon & Somerset Fire Authority who have been very supportive of me undertaking this expedition. The Chairman Cllr Bernard Hughes and Vice Chairman Mark Healey in particular. One of my objectives on taking the post was to raise the profile of DSFRS and this expedition supports that approach and I have been at pains to remind everyone that I will be undertaking this in my own time.
The Fire Fighters Charity is here for fire fighters during their times of need. Every 30 seconds in the UK fire fighters are called to an incident, risking their lives to save others.