New chief fire officer chosen for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service

He will be taking up the role following the retirement of current chief Paul Hedley in August.

Graeme has had a long career across fire and rescue services spanning over two decades.

He joined Hampshire Fire Rescue in 2001 before transferring to Strathclyde Fire Brigade, which later became Strathclyde Fire and Rescue before the creation of the single Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in 2013.

In his time north of the border, he worked across multiple portfolios in several different areas of Scotland before joining NFRS in 2020 as deputy chief fire officer.

Since coming to Northumberland, Graeme has led on the creation of systems and processes to develop a culture of continuous improvement in the service as a key part of the county council – along with close partnership working at a regional and national level.

He said: “It’s a great honour to be appointed as the new chief fire officer and I’m excited to be following the good work of Paul.

“Northumberland is a beautiful place to work and I’m happy to be working alongside people who make this county proud, and to be serving the people in it.”

Graeme is a proud dad of 14-year-old Molly and husband to his wife Jodi, and outside work enjoys running, cycling and the occasional triathlon.

Coun Glen Sanderson, leader of the county council, said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Graeme on achieving this promotion – it is very well deserved.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Graeme and the rest of the senior management team at the fire service and know he will be an excellent appointment.”

Mr Hedley, said: “Graeme has been the deputy chief for the last two-and-a-half years and he has already made a tremendous impact during that time, leading on some hugely significant service improvements.

“To have an officer of Graeme’s quality and calibre leading our service and our wider directorate means that our staff, residents and partners can have confidence that we will continue our work to respond to the changing needs of our communities and improve all aspects of our service delivery.”