Peter started in the Fire and Rescue Service in 1982 where at the age of 18 he joined the Hertfordshire Fire Brigade; beginning his 31 year career dedicated to making our communities safer.
Peter joined Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service in 1999 as a Senior Divisional Officer and was promoted to Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer before being appointed Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Services in 2008.
Peter said: “There have been many changes to the fire service during my career. The most significant being the recognition that prevention is better than cure and that there is a great deal that we can do to improve the lives and well-being of our communities, much of which goes beyond the traditional expectations of our organisation.
By changing the way we work within communities, levels of fire casualties have dropped to their lowest ever levels and fire and rescue service staff are now contributing to the improvement of many other outcomes, including health, education, crime and disorder and economic development”
A Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers and the Vice-President Elect of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association, Peter also holds a Bachelor of Engineering Honours degree in Fire Safety Engineering and a Master’s Degree in Management.
“I look forward to the years to come, which I am sure will be challenging but will give me and the rest of the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service the opportunity to make even more of an impact and contribute much more to dealing with the priority issues affecting local people.”
Peter has been instrumental in the development of a pioneering project with Staffordshire University’s Centre for Ageing and Mental Health, that will equip Fire and Rescue Services with the skills to detect dementia.
In 2014, Peter was awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal.
In 2016, Peter retired from the Fire and Rescue Service and joined the Board of the North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group as Lay Member for Patient and Public Involvement.
The award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Peter in recognition of his unstinting dedication to the Fire and Rescue Service and his transformative role in the modernisation of the Service.