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Ross Haggart, the Chief Fire Officer for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is to retire later this year after 30 years of service. He took on the role after the sudden departure of former chief Martin Blunden who was suspended in March 2022 after allegations of bullying and harassment.
The £190k role oversees the world’s fourth largest fire and rescue service with its 350 fire stations and over 3,500 firefighters.
The job advertisement emphasises ‘a preference for a minimum 3 year tenure,’ as it seeks stability in its leadership. It also requires the applicant to be an existing principal fire officer with strategic command (Gold) experience suggesting that the service is not looking for a non-operational chief as other services in England and Wales have started to broaden their senior officer recruitment beyond fire and rescue.
The recruitment comes at the same time as the service consults on its strategic plans for the future. Shaping our Future Service sets out the challenges faced by the service including the impacts of climate change, an ageing population and a commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.
More information about the role can be found here.
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