Chief Fire Officer's Welcome

Alan Taylor joined Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service as a Fire-fighter in May 1984 and became the Service's Chief Fire Officer in February 2005.

I have recently received the tremendous honour of being appointed Chief Fire Officer of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service following the retirement of Ian Kerr, who has led the Service for the past 15 years. Although Shropshire is one of the smallest Fire and Rescue Services in England, under Ian's excellent leadership we have gained a well-earned reputation for quality and innovation. During audits and inspections too numerous to mention, the Service has time and time again been recognised as one of the best in the United Kingdom, particularly with regard to our successes in driving down the number of fires, deaths and injuries which can cause so much misery amongst the communities we strive to protect.

Alan Taylor
Chief Fire Officer

My task is to build even further upon Ian's many successes, however, it is a task I relish and one which I recognise can only be achieved with the support of every member of our Service. In my view, the greatest strength of any organisation is the people who work within it, and I consider myself most fortunate to have worked for over 20 years alongside the very exceptional people whom I have now been given the opportunity to lead. In Shropshire we value our staff and recognise fully the enormous contribution they make to public safety. We are also proud of our record on industrial relations and of the strong degree of mutual respect which exists between our elected politicians, senior officers and front-line staff.

Despite the view often advanced (usually without supporting evidence) that bigger is better, I am also a strong believer that our own Service is perfectly formed to provide the local services which the public of Shropshire expect. We should have no fears of working closely with others to obtain improved services and efficiencies in scale where this clearly makes sense, for example, in responding to regional or national large scale emergencies. We should also, however, strive to ensure that we maintain our local identity and continue doing what we do best, namely 'Putting Shropshire's Safety First.'

Through the Fire Services Act 2004 and a new 'National Framework' the Government have recently prescribed very clearly what it expects from Fire and Rescue Services throughout England. It is a clear sign of the previous innovation and success of our own Service that we have been meeting much of Government's so called 'modernisation agenda' for many years. Perhaps more importantly, we have very clear evidence to prove it! As such, the future should hold no fears for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, merely opportunities to improve even further upon the protection we provide to the people of Shropshire.

Alan Taylor
Chief Fire Officer
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service