North Yorkshire’s Chief Fire Officer Andrew Brodie has given North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner notice that he intends to retire from the fire service later this year.
Mr Brodie, who has been in the role leading North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service since January 2019, is to move away from the area to take up a business opportunity beyond the fire service.
He will remain in post until the end of the summer and will continue to lead the Service at an important time keeping North Yorkshire and York safe, continuing the progress that has been made towards working more collaboratively with North Yorkshire Police and ensuring a solid financial foundation for the future.
With the forthcoming elections for a new North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner taking place on Thursday 6 May, and a new Commissioner beginning their term on Thursday 13 May, the recruitment process for a new Chief Fire Officer will not begin until after that date.
Andrew Brodie, North Yorkshire Chief Fire Officer, said:
Leading North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is an immense privilege but, after 31 years working within and supporting the fire service across the country, I have an opportunity to take up a new challenge elsewhere in the UK in a completely different line of work which I am keen to pursue.
Although today announces my intention to retire in the summer, there will be no let up from me in the priorities which have driven my time as Chief Fire Officer in North Yorkshire. We have achieved a huge amount but there is much more to do to ensure we are an innovative, financially sustainable and collaborative organisation which works to protect North Yorkshire and York every day.
I am particularly proud of the way we are increasingly working alongside our partners in North Yorkshire Police with who we share a joint mission with aligned priorities. From the pilot of Public Safety Officers in Craven to locating more of our teams together at the heart of the communities, our job is to keep people safe and feeling safe, and I look forward to continuing to work closely on that with Chief Constable Lisa Winward, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and their teams.
Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said:
Andrew has been, and continues to be, an outstanding Chief Fire Officer for North Yorkshire and I wish him well for the future. He has led the organisation through a challenging time, and I know firefighters and staff value his passion, dedication and understanding of the Fire Service, their roles and the future.
We have made huge progress since I took over the governance of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. From establishing a joint headquarters saving £1m a year, to much greater collaboration on shared vision and values, to setting up Enable North Yorkshire to avoid duplication of back office roles and improve the support given to both organisations.
As one of the most poorly funded services in the country, we made swift progress to put in place a plan to deal with the £2m budget deficit I inherited, halt the unsustainable use of reserves and put in place savings that protect the frontline. All of this means the budget is forecast to break even by 2024.
At every step in this process, Andrew has been a Chief Fire Officer who understands the challenges and is willing to engage with everyone to get the best solution for the fire service and the people of North Yorkshire and York. I am sure his successor, and mine, will want to build on that in the years ahead.
