The first stage of a proposal which could see Cumbria’s chief fire officer shared with Northumberland is due to be considered this week.

If agreed, a feasibility study into sharing the chief fire officer between the two fire and rescue services will consider whether the proposal would enhance service resilience, deliver efficiencies and improve services for both councils.
The results of the study would then be considered by both councils in March or April.

The recent retirement of Northumberland's chief fire officer, Brian Hesler, has provided the opportunity for the councils to examine the proposal.

Councillor Gary Strong, cabinet member for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Although this is potentially a big change to the senior management layout across both fire authorities, operationally both sets of frontline staff will remain the same.

“There are many similarities between Cumbria and Northumberland, such as operational performance, rurality, working practices and the mix of retained and full-time firefighters. Should the proposal become a reality both counties could benefit from joint working, collaboration and sharing best practice.”