New Chief Fire Officer for Dorset & Wiltshire

Following a robust recruitment process, Andy Cole QFSM has been announced as the new Chief Fire Officer for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority appointments and disputes committee appointed Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Cole at their meeting on Wednesday (6th November).

Currently the ACFO, Andy started his fire service career at Castle Cary fire station (Devon and Somerset FRS) as an on-call firefighter before joining the then Dorset Fire and Rescue Service in 2008. He served as an operational firefighter in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area for a number of years.

Following promotion to Station Manager, Andy has worked in various roles supporting local stations in the Dorset area. Once promoted to Group Manager he oversaw all Wiltshire fire stations and supported them in recruitment, development, training and response.

In 2019, Andy was promoted to Area Manager where he was responsible for leading teams developing and improving the Service in a range of areas including fire control, operational procedural and guidance development, operational resourcing and the management of operational risk information and collaboration.

In early 2021 Andy was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Director of Community Safety. In this role, over the last three and a half years, Andy has led colleagues across Dorset & Wiltshire on operational response, prevention, protection and safeguarding. He is also the Chair of the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) On-call Committee. He received a QFSM in the 2020 Queen’s New Years Honours list for his outstanding leadership and efforts during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Chair of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, Cllr Paul Oatway QPM said: “I am delighted to confirm that Andy has been appointed as the new Chief Fire Officer for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service following a challenging and rigorous recruitment process. Andy brings significant strategic leadership experience to the role and a proven track record as an empathetic leader with a can-do attitude. The Fire & Rescue Authority and I look forward to working closely with him to ensure the safety of the communities of Dorset & Wiltshire.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Andy Cole said: “It’s a privilege to be appointed Chief Fire Officer. I take great pride in the service we provide and the dedicated staff who work extremely hard to ensure we deliver this service to our communities and partners. I am committed to working hard to provide the highest quality service to everyone who lives, works, or visits the beautiful counties of Dorset & Wiltshire.”

Andy will take over as Chief Fire Officer on 1st January 2025, following the retirement of Ben Ansell QFSM on 31st December 2024.