The new Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has been appointed by Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority.
Rod Hammerton, the former Assistant Chief Fire Officer for South Wales, steps up to replace John Redmond, who took over as Chief Fire Officer at Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service in the Summer.
After a short career in the Royal Navy, Mr Hammerton (48) joined the fire service in Hampshire as a firefighter initially serving at Eastleigh Fire Station, near Southampton.
During 15 years of service in Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, working at several stations in Portsmouth and Southsea, he moved to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to take up the role of Head of Operations.
After three years in this demanding role, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Officer with responsibility for technical references including fleet, IT and specialist operations such as operational planning for the Olympics, Ryder Cup and the recent NATO Summit.
“I am delighted to be living and working in Shropshire. The Fire and Rescue Service here has a strong track record in delivering and developing highly innovative solutions that have maintained an excellent service in the face of financial constraints.
“My job is to keep that momentum going and make sure our communities and firefighters stay as safe as they can be.
“I am currently focusing on a number of projects that will allow the Service to balance the budget by 2020. I am a firm believer that if we strive for improvement and understand what the public needs then the savings will follow. The key to this is to engage all the stakeholders whether they be the politicians who lead us, the communities we serve or the staff who really understand the business in hand.”
“We know this period of austerity in the public sector is far from over but Shropshire Fire and Rescue hasn’t used that as an excuse to lower their standards. I intend to harness this positive culture of public service, innovation and professional pride to put Shropshire’s safety first and further improve the wide variety of work that we do in the county.”
Originally from Portsmouth, Mr Hammerton is married with three children, two at university and one at nursery. A former rugby player and keen cyclist, he said he is looking forward to cycling in “the beautiful hills and flatlands of Shropshire.”
He will be based at the Shropshire fire HQ in Shrewsbury.
