Led by Peter Holland (the Chief Fire Officer) the Executive Board consists of the following six Members: -
- Peter Holland : Chief Fire Officer
- Paul Richardson : Deputy Chief Fire Officer / Director of Strategy and Planning
- Chris Kenny : Assistant Chief Fire Officer / Director of Service Delivery
- Bob Warren : Director of People & Development
- Keith Mattinson : Director of Corporate Services / Treasurer
Peter Holland : Chief Fire Officer
Peter Holland has been the Chief Fire Officer of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service since July 1999. Mr Holland was previously Chief Fire Officer of Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service from September 1995 until June 1999, prior to that he was Deputy Chief Fire Officer with Lancashire, where he held that position from October 1992. The 2007 Audit Commission report on Fire and Rescue Services in England deemed that Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service was one of only five Services to be given the top grade of ‘Improving Strongly’.
Peter is President of the UK Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), with a term of office in the role from Sept 2010 to Sept 2011.
He has recently been elected (June 2009) for a three year term onto the NFPA Board of Directors.
He is a Past International President (1997/8) and Vice Chairman of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE). He established the National Fire Sprinkler Network in the UK (July 1998) in conjunction with a UK Member of Parliament following work during his presidential year to promote an increased use of sprinklers in both industrial and residential properties, and was Chairman for 10 years. The Network successfully convinced the Government to change the Building Regulations to improve sprinkler protection in large single storey retail building and schools. It has for the last ten years significantly increased sprinkler protection for life and property protection.
From 2004 to 2009, Peter was Chairman of Fire Conferences and Exhibitions Ltd (FCEL), which organises the largest annual fire conference and exhibition in the UK.
He has spoken at many international fire conferences in Malaysia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, USA, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Canada and India.
He started his career in Bristol Fire Brigade in 1972 – the fourth generation in his family to enter the profession. As the Chief Fire Officer for Lancashire, he is continuing a family tradition. His father, Sir Kenneth Holland, and his grandfather Percy Holland, were Chief Fire Officers, whilst his great grandfather, Charles, was a Firefighter in Dudley from 1890 to 1914.
Following service with Bristol Fire Brigade and then Avon FB, Peter Holland moved to Cheshire as a Station Officer working at Chester and Widnes. Promotion to Assistant Divisional Officer took him to West Yorkshire where he served on the Bradford Division, Headquarters and Calderdale. During this period he was promoted to Divisional Officer in Fire Safety.
Two year’s later Peter Holland was appointed Recruitment and Training Officer in Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and later became Divisional Commander in that County’s North Division, based at Stoke-on-Trent, before being appointed Assistant Chief Fire Officer in August 1990.
He was awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal for distinguished service in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours List in 1997 and was appointed an Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in 1998. He was also awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the Queen’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1992 and was named Commander of the British Empire in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List, 2010.
Peter Holland’s hobbies are classic cars, cycling and golf. He was the Chairman of the UK Fire Service Sports and Athletics Association in 1996/97.
Peter Holland is married with four children and five grandsons and three granddaughters. He was born in Accrington, Lancashire in April 1954.
Paul Richardson : Deputy Chief Fire Officer / Director of Strategy and Planning
Paul has served within Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service for over 31 years across various references and currently holds the post of Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Director of Strategy and Planning, being responsible for Community Risk Management, Operational Risk Management, Safety Health and Environment and Information Technology with Communications.
He obtained a BEng (Hons) in Fire Engineering (First Class) in 1995 through the University of Central Lancashire and became a Chartered Fire Engineer in 1997. He was previously a student at Ribbleton Hall High School and WR Tuson College, both in Preston.
Paul is also a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, serving as International President during 2008/9.
He is married with three children.
Chris Kenny : Assistant Chief Fire Officer / Director of Service Delivery
Chris joined Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in 2000 having spent the first 22 years of his fire service career with Merseyside. On transfer he took charge of the Service Training Centre at Chorley. He later progressed to be Assistant Chief Officer in 2003.
In his current role of Director of Service Delivery, he is responsible for all aspects of service delivery and mobilising. He is also the Lead Lancashire Officer for the Regional Control Centre Project and is the North West Lead on the Private Finance Initiative project to deliver 16 new Fire Stations across Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria.
Chris was in the first cohort of students to pass the Fire Engineering degree at the University of Central Lancashire in 1995, which was specially tailored for the needs of the modern fire and rescue service. He was also one of the first FRS staff nationally to use this degree to attain Chartered Engineer status in 1997. He has since built on these foundations with two Masters Degrees, one in Management and one in Fire Command.
He is married with two sons.
Bob Warren : Director of People & Development
Bob joined Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in 2002 and is the Service’s Director of People and Development. His responsibilities include all aspects of an employee’s career from recruitment, development, promotion through to leaving. This incorporates responsibility for the Service’s Training Centre at Chorley and the Occupational Health Unit and he is an advisor to the National Joint Council for Firefighters.
His previous roles before joining the Service were primarily in the Rail Industry and encompassed the full spectrum of human resources activity having commenced employment as a paybill clerk and finishing within British Rail with responsibility for the Employee Relations of 35,000 staff within the engineering sector. On privatisation he became Director of Human Resources for the North West Rail franchise, before moving to a similar role in a further and higher education establishment in Poole.
He moved back to his adopted North West in 2001 with a role at Manchester City Council.
Keith Mattinson : Director of Corporate Services / Treasurer
Keith has worked in the public sector for over 20 years, starting in the NHS in 1989, where he qualified as an accountant, with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
He was appointed Deputy Director of Finance at Wyre Housing Association in 1999 before starting his current job with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service in 2001.
He is both the Director of Finance for the Service and also the Treasurer to the Fire Authority, and has overall responsibility for both finance and procurement, as well as leading on Property and Fleet Services.
He is married with two children.