Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

Central at 23/12/2008 15:19

Cornwall County Council is to employ an interim Chief Fire Officer, Terry Standing of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service. CFO Standing will help move the service’s improvement plan forward, after the current CFO, Matt Littmoden, announced his retirement.

Matt Littmoden is retiring on 31st March as planned, but now that CFO Standing has confirmed that he will be joining Cornwall County Fire Brigade in early January, CFO Littmoden has felt it appropriate to step aside to let CFO Standing take operational control of the service.

The Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Sir Ken Knight says, "Cornwall County Council sought my assistance on how to proceed with the operational issues of the post assessment improvement plan. The appointment of Terry Standing is a positive way for the county council to take the service forward."

Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive of Cornwall County Council comments, "We welcome the expertise and advice of Terry Standing in working on the corporate performance of Cornwall County Fire Brigade. We will be recruiting for a new permanent Chief Fire Officer early next year and we are very grateful that Terry has agreed to oversee the service until a new Chief Fire Officer is in post."

Terry Standing has served in the fire service for 29 years and was appointed Chief Fire Officer of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service in 2006 after joining as Deputy Chief Fire Officer in 2001. He is also Group Director of Community Safety at Gloucestershire County Council. This year, Terry received the Queen’s Fire Service Medal at Windsor Castle for his work in the 2007 floods.

Speaking of his secondment to Cornwall County Council, Terry says, "I’m looking forward to developing and implementing an improvement plan that will move Cornwall’s fire service forward and make it an excellent service for all."

Please note that no one will be available for interview until after the Christmas period.