Justin Johnson named as Lancashire’s new Chief Fire Officer

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Justin Johnston (right) has been appointed as Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s next Chief Fire Officer. Justin will officially take over on 1 May 2019 when the existing Chief Fire Officer, Chris Kenny, retires.

Justin joined Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in October 2012 as Deputy Chief Fire Officer from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, where he served as Assistant Chief Fire Officer. He began his career in Essex County Fire and Rescue Service as a firefighter, in January 1995, and left in 2008 to join Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service as an Area Manager.

Justin is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE), Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) where he is the national lead NFCC Officer for firefighter fitness and he chairs the FireFit steering group.

Justin says, “It is a fantastic honour for me to be appointed Chief Fire Officer of a strongly performing fire and rescue service. I will look to build on the outstanding contribution made by Chris Kenny and I aspire for the service to be the best trained, best equipped, best accommodated and most professional fire and rescue service in the country. With our dedicated and hardworking staff we will continue working to make Lancashire safer.