Preferred candidate chosen to be new fire chief

A preferred candidate to become the head of the county's fire service has been chosen.

Staffordshire commissioner Ben Adams announced on Tuesday that the fire service's current deputy chief fire officer Glynn Luznyj was his preferred choice to become chief fire officer.

Luznyj was chosen after a "rigorous and robust" process, according to Adams, following the announcement that current chief Rob Barber is to retire later this year.

The proposed appointment is due to be put before the county's police, fire and crime panel at a meeting on 9 February.

Luznyj has spent his whole career at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, starting as a trainee in 1996, with his first station posting in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

He progressed through the ranks before joining the principal management team in 2015, and was appointed deputy chief in 2021.

He has taken on national roles including the National Fire Chiefs Council lead on smoke detection and secretary of the Fire Leaders Association.

In 2024, he was recognised in His Majesty the King's New Year's Honours List, receiving the King's Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to the fire and rescue sector.

"Glynn brings a wealth of operational and strategic experience," Adams said in a memo to staff, seen by the BBC.

"I'm confident he has the knowledge and expertise needed to lead the service through its continued modernisation, building on Staffordshire's reputation while also addressing the challenges facing the sector nationally."

He added: "I'd like to thank the current chief fire officer Rob Barber for all his hard work and leadership in shaping the service for the future, which saw it graded outstanding by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services for its response to major and multi-agency incidents."

Barber added he was delighted that Luznyj had been appointed as the preferred choice to become his successor.

"He has been serving the communities of Staffordshire since starting his career as a firefighter at Newcastle-under-Lyme, so it will be a great honour for him to now become chief of the organisation that he first joined 30 years ago," he said.

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