News and Events

County Councillor Ged Mirfin has been appointed as the Chair of The Lancashire Combined Fire Authority and County Councillor Usman Arif has been appointed as the Vice Chair at the Annual General Meeting on Monday 23 June.

County Councillor Mirfin was elected as a County Councillor for the Ribble Valley North East division in May 2025 as a member of Reform UK. He has previously sat on the Combined Fire Authority between 2021 and 2022.

Working in partnership with County Councillor Mirfin as the Vice Chair is County Councillor Usman Arif who represents Burnley North East as an Independent Member of the Progressive Lancashire group. County Councillor Arif is the first Black or Minority Ethnic who has served as Chair or Vice Chair in the history of The Combined Fire Authority. He has been a member of the Combined Fire Authority since 2024.

Speaking after his appointment, County Councillor Ged Mirfin said:

“It is an honour to be appointed Chair of the Combined Fire Authority which I regard as a very important role.

“There are a lot of new members so it is a unique learning situation however I intend to run the CFA in as non-political way as possible working with members across the Authority. We all intend to do our best for the people of Lancashire.

“I feel my father, who was in the fire service for 37 years, would be very proud of me leading a high performing Authority like Lancashire.”

Vice Chair, County Councillor Usman Arif added:

“I am very proud to have been voted in as the Vice-Chair of the Authority and I thank my colleagues on the Authority for giving me this fantastic privilege.

“I will work with County Councillor Ged Mirfin and the Executive Board of the Service to ensure Lancashire’s residents have a fire and rescue service that will continue to keep them safe.”

At the meeting, Chief Fire Officer, Jon Charters welcomed County Councillors Mirfin and Arif into their new positions and the 16 new members of the Combined Fire Authority.

Jon said:

“I am delighted to welcome the new the Members of The Lancashire Combined Fire Authority and I look forward to working with them and highlighting the fantastic work of our staff.

“The Service has a strong track record of balancing the budget and delivering the best possible service that represent excellent value for money for the people of Lancashire, and we remain strongly committed to achieve this under the new leaders of The Combined Fire Authority.”  

The Lancashire Combined Fire Authority is an independent governing body responsible for overseeing the delivery of fire and rescue services across Lancashire. It comprises 25 elected members drawn from three local councils: 19 from Lancashire County Council, and three each from Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen Councils.

The Authority ensures that fire and rescue services are delivered efficiently and cost-effectively, while also enforcing fire safety legislation and coordinating emergency responses such as road traffic rescues. Members of the Authority are tasked with upholding its objectives, values, and legal responsibilities, and they operate under a formal code of conduct to maintain transparency and accountability in public service.