Chief Fire Officer, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

John has over 25 years’ experience in the Fire and Rescue Service and joined Merseyside Fire Brigade as a Firefighter in 1997 and progressed through the ranks working operationally as a Leading Firefighter, Sub Officer and Station officer. In 2006 John was promoted to Station Commander with responsibility for several fire stations in Liverpool.

In 2008 John was seconded to the Department of Communities and Local Government working within the Fire and Resilience Directorate before joining South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue in 2009 and worked in a variety of roles including District Commander for Sheffield and Barnsley, before being promoted to Area Commander, Assistant Chief Fire Officer and finally Deputy Chief Fire Officer.

John joined West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service on promotion to Chief Fire Officer in 2017.  In addition to his Chief Officer role in West Yorkshire, John fulfils several national roles within the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) including: NFCC trustee, Chair of the Operational Effectiveness group, Fires in Tall Buildings Group Chair, and National Resilience Command and Control lead officer.