New assistant chief in place at county's fire service

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service’s (NFRS) new assistant chief fire officer has been appointed following an extensive selection process.
Jim McNeil, NFRS assistant chief fire officer.Jim McNeil, NFRS assistant chief fire officer.
Jim McNeil, NFRS assistant chief fire officer.

Jim McNeil, who was born in Irvine, Scotland, joins NFRS from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) – where he served for 24 years and nine months.

He finished his SFRS career as local senior officer for East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde.

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In this role, he was responsible for the delivery of the Fire and Rescue Service across three local authority areas covering a population of 350,000, including seven wholetime fire stations and four on-call/retained duty system stations with a total workforce of more than 320 members of staff.

Jim said: “I'm really looking forward to working with my new service – working closely with the senior leadership team and our staff to deliver our vision of making Northumberland safer.

“It’s also exciting being part of Northumberland County Council and working in collaboration to keep our communities and residents safe and well.”

Paul Hedley, chief fire officer at NFRS, said: “I’m delighted to welcome such a talented and highly respected officer and Jim is an excellent appointment for us.

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“He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I’m sure that he’ll bring real innovation and also a fresh perspective to the services we deliver for our communities and partnerships.

“I’m really excited about how he will work with all of our staff and colleagues across the county council to shape and shape and influence the future of our fire and rescue service.”