County Fire Officer announces retirement
After 34 years in the Fire and Rescue Service, County Fire Officer William Brown has announced his retirement today (Wednesday).
William began his career in the fire and rescue service in 1975 with Essex Fire and Rescue Service, where he rose through the ranks before transferring to Warwickshire as Deputy County Fire Officer in 2003. In September 2004 William was appointed County Fire Officer and in 2006 he became a Strategic Director for Community Protection with responsibility for Community Safety, Drugs and Alcohol Action Team and Emergency Planning.
County Fire Officer Brown said:
"After 34 years in the Fire and Rescue Service I have come to the decision that this is a good time to retire. The five years I have spent in Warwickshire have allowed me to work with many dedicated and professional people who are focussed on delivering excellent services to the community. It has been an honour to work with them.
Commenting on his time in the Fire and Rescue Service CFO Brown said: “During my career I have faced many challenges and I have experienced many highs and lows. However, it has been my pleasure to work with some of the cleverest, industrious, visionary and funniest people around. Being a firefighter is still one of the best jobs around, even with the inevitable changes to and demands made on the Service’.”
Warwickshire County Council’s Chief Executive, Jim Graham said
“It has been a great pleasure to work with William over the last few years and I would like to offer my personal thanks to the enormous contribution he has made to protecting communities in Warwickshire and elsewhere. I would like to wish him and his family the very best for the future.”
Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Alan Farnell said:
“There have been many changes to the fire and rescue service over the last few years and I am pleased to have worked with William on facing these challenges. He has a true passion for the work he does and has made a real difference to protecting the community of Warwickshire. I wish him all the very best in his retirement and thank him for his dedication and support to making Warwickshire a safer place.”