New chief fire officer vows to work his hardest to put Cambs fire service ‘right at the top’

The newly appointed chief fire officer has said he will work his hardest to put the area at the “very top when it comes to fire and rescue services”. Matthew Warren has been appointed as the new chief fire officer of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service after receiving unanimous support from fire authority members at a meeting this week (June 20).

Mr Warren will take over the role from Chris Strickland, who announced his plans to retire earlier this year after 40 years in the fire and rescue service, and eight as the chief fire officer for Cambridgeshire. Chair of the fire authority, Councillor Edna Murphy, thanked Mr Strickland for his service to the area and said he had been an “exemplary public servant”.

Mr Strickland voiced his support for Mr Warren being appointed as his replacement stating that he starts the role on a “strong footing” and that he knows the organisation “inside and out”. He said Mr Warren had gained the “respect and trust” of people in the service and that he was sure he would continue to move the organisation forward.

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Mr Warren had been the service’s deputy chief executive officer. He told the fire authority members that he was “really excited” and “grateful” to have been appointed as the new chief fire officer. He said: “I think we can do great things, we have got a great team of people, the best I would suggest, and we are in a good state to put ourselves right at the very top when it comes to fire and rescue services. I will work my hardest to ensure that we make progress along that way.”

Mr Warren also paid tribute to Mr Strickland saying he had worked with him since 2007 and said they had done great things in that time. As the new chief fire officer Mr Warren is due to be paid the same as what Mr Strickland had been paid in the role, with a salary of £179,739.