Matthew Warren to become £173,000 a year chief fire officer for Cambridgeshire

Matthew Warren, deputy chief executive of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue, is to step up to the top job as £173,000 a year chief fire officer and chief executive. His appointment is expected to be confirmed by the fire authority at its next meeting on June 20.

Mr Warren, who for a time combined his current role with that of interim chief financial officer for Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner, has worked for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue for more than 20 years.

As deputy chief executive he earns £150,000 a year.

On his LinkedIn profile he describes having overseen “major modernisation projects and restructures, resulting in significant cost reductions” at Cambs Fire and Rescue.,

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Mr Warren joined in 2003 as head of finance, before becoming director of resources in 2009 and deputy chief executive in 2015.

The fire authority appointments committee recommended him for the chief executive role following a “nationwide recruitment search with a robust selection process carried out over the past few weeks”, said a fire authority spokesperson

Matthew Warren, who for a time combined his current role with that of interim chief financial officer for Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner, has worked for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue for more than 20 years

“It culminated in interviews with the appointments committee on Wednesday, assisted by Stephen Moir, chief executive of Cambridgeshire County Council, as an external independent assessor”.

Councillor Edna Murphy, chair of the fire authority, said: “Matthew was our unanimous choice as the candidate.

“His proven ability at chief officer level, his forward-thinking approach with its emphasis on people, combined with his operational qualifications made him stand out.

“He has been an integral part of the chief officer team for many years and is passionate about continuing to make the fire and rescue service the best it can be.”

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The current chief fire officer, Chris Strickland, announced his retirement in February having served over 40 years in the fire and rescue service and the past eight as chief fire officer for Cambridgeshire.

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Mr Strickland, who has held the position for the past eight years, will step down from the role in September.

Having joined Cambridgeshire in 2007, after serving 24 years with Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, he arrived as assistant chief fire officer. He was promoted to deputy chief before becoming chief fire officer in 2016 and will retire having served over 40 years in the fire service.

Mr Strickland said: “I have been honoured and incredibly proud to lead this fire and rescue service and the fantastic people who work here and so it has been a tough decision to plan to hang up the uniform for good, but now feels the right time to pass the baton on to someone else.

“We are widely recognised as being a high performing fire and rescue service and I believe we’re in a good position for someone else to now pick up the reins and continue to deliver the best possible service we can to our communities.”

Cllr Murphy said: “Chris has provided exemplary and inspiring leadership to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, continuing the drive for improvement with courage and empathy during difficult times.

“We are all grateful to him for what has been a career of dedicated public service.”