New chief fire officer appointed to lead service

A fire and rescue service's deputy chief fire officer will step up to lead it when his boss retires next month.

Mark Arkwell said he was "immensely proud" to be appointed the next chief fire officer – effectively a chief executive – of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) when Wayne Bowcock leaves.

"It will be a great honour to lead a service that is made up of dedicated public servants delivering their very best for our community," Arkwell said, who was formally appointed on Tuesday.

"I am incredibly excited to lead the service on the next step of its journey."

Arkwell, who has also worked for Surrey's fire and rescue service, said it is a "privilege" to work alongside Bowcock, who he said will leave a "lasting legacy" when he leaves on 27 March.

The new chief fire officer will earn a salary of between £155,526 and £177,258. Arkwell's exact salary will be determined later and reviewed annually.

RBFRS runs 12 wholetime and four on-call fire stations across Berkshire, from Langley in the east of the county to Lambourn in the west.

Last April, it was found to be good but told it could still improve in some areas by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.

Jeff Brooks, chairman of the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority and West Berkshire Council leader, said Arkwell was someone of "exceptional ability and knowledge."

"The selection process was competitive, and we were fortunate to have such high calibre candidates," Brooks added.

"This role carries a great deal of responsibility to residents, businesses and the staff of RBFRS and it was imperative that we found someone with the right skills and experience to take the organisation forward."