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Chloe Townsend is the first tri-service safety officer (TSSO) to work in Devon, building on a decade of experience in neighbouring Cornwall to enhance early intervention, prevention, and support for vulnerable individuals across the county.
Emergency services from across the counties came together recently in Holsworthy to launch the start of the tri-service approach. 28-year-old former paramedic and former on-call firefighter Chloe is helping out during emergency incidents and carrying out vital preventative, awareness and wellbeing work with vulnerable people.
“In my previous roles, I could only deal with one element according to the service I was with – but now I can combine all three areas of police, fire, and health to support individuals. It is satisfying because you can follow through their journey from start to finish with interventions and monitoring their progress.”
Chloe Townsend, TSSO.
This innovative model is unique to Devon and Cornwall and the PCC says she hopes it will be replicated across the country in the future. It started out as a pilot in Hayle, Cornwall, in 2014, and has already expanded to 15 full-time roles across Cornwall. Two independent evaluations have shown that TSSOs reduce frontline demand, improve individual outcomes, and build stronger, safer communities —particularly in more deprived areas where services often support the same individuals.
“I’m delighted to see the TSSO role now established in Holsworthy. This is a forward-thinking, community-focused solution that’s proven to work. By combining the expertise of police, fire, and health, TSSOs are so much more than the sum of their parts, making a real difference on the ground – keeping people safe, supporting the vulnerable, and improving lives.”
Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez.
Working across services, TSSOs respond to issues from a multi-agency perspective. Whether fitting smoke alarms during police welfare checks, making health referrals, or linking residents with local support services, They are also trained retained firefighters and community responders for the ambulance service—though this emergency response work makes up less than 10% of their time.
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