Merseyside appoints new Chief Fire Officer

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) has announced the appointment of Nick Searle QFSM to the role of Chief Fire Officer (CFO).

CFO Searle, who has served as the Deputy Chief Fire Officer (DCFO) of MFRS for the past six years, officially takes up the post on 1 April 2025, following the departure of previous CFO Phil Garrigan who is taking up the role of Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). You can read more about this here.

CFO Searle joined MFRS in 1995 and throughout his career, has served in several roles and directorates. Since he was appointed as DCFO in October 2018, he has been responsible for Operational Preparedness, Training, Collaboration and Merseyside Fire & Authority (MFRA)’s role as Lead Authority for National Resilience.

“We have a long and proud history, and we will continue to use innovation, experience, teamwork and professionalism to protect those in their hour of need. We are a diverse group of people in a range of varied roles, all working together to deliver the best response to the communities we serve. We will always be there for you when things are at their toughest.”

Nick Searle, Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

Nationally, Searle is the NFCC Strategic Lead for both UK National Resilience and the UK International Search and Rescue team (UK ISAR).

CFO Searle’s appointment comes at a significant time for the service as it builds upon the opening of its Training and Development Academy and National Resilience Centre of Excellence in the summer of last year.

As the lead authority for National Resilience and UK ISAR the service is responsible for the co-ordination of fire service assets to widespread national incidents such as flooding and wildfires, and any overseas deployments in the event of a major disaster.

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