Alan Robson appointed TWFRS Assistant Chief Fire Officer

Alan Robson has been appointed Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACO), following an extensive selection process, which included both internal and external candidates.

Blyth-born Alan originally joined Northumberland FRS in 1989 as an operational Firefighter, transferring to TWFRS in 1995.

For the last 10 months, Alan has been working in the role in a temporary capacity.

Throughout his career, Alan has fulfilled a broad range of roles including Leading Firefighter, Sub Officer and Station Officer, before moving to management roles in fire safety, operations and community safety. He has also held senior manager positions in service delivery, regional control, human resources, learning and development, strategy and planning. He has contributed to the development of operational strategy, policy and procedures, organisational reviews and the preparation required for hosting large scale multi-agency exercises and events. Commenting on the decision, Alan said:

“I’m delighted and humbled by my appointment. The selection process was incredibly thorough and I had some very tough competition for the post. In particular, I would like to thank Chris Lowther, Chief Fire Officer, who provided me with support and leadership whilst in my temporary role. The success achieved over my time in the post could not have been delivered without the commitment, expertise and professionalism of our whole workforce.

My focus is now to build upon the improvements needed to safeguard our outstanding service. We are one of the safest and best performing fire and rescue services in the UK and it is vital that this is sustained for the long term. I also look forward to playing a key role in making us more inclusive and representative of the communities we serve.”

Chairman of Tyne and Wear Fire Authority, Cllr Tom Wright, said:

“Alan was an impressive candidate and will make an excellent Assistant Chief Fire Officer – a role he has already been delivering since April last year”.

“There is no doubt that our fire and rescue service, like all others is going through a challenging period in our history. Both Alan’s operational experience and his leadership qualities will be of huge benefit to the service and of course to Chief Fire Officer, Chris Lowther – especially as we work to make our great service even better for the people of Tyne and Wear.”