Date: 14th September, 2016
Following the recent retirement notice of Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter, the Appointments Committee of the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service have now concluded a national recruitment process and today unanimously recommended to the Fire Authority that the position be offered to Assistant Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. The appointment process was supported by an expert Independent HR Advisor and the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Peter Holland.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority Chairman, Cllr Rebecca Knox said: “The Fire Authority and I are delighted that Ben was unanimously recommended for the position of Chief Fire Officer after successfully completing the recruitment process. Ben is passionate about working to make the people of Dorset and Wiltshire safer and has a strong track record of working with Fire Authority members to change and save lives. I look forward to working with Ben in the coming months and years and I congratulate him on his new position.”
Ben joined Dorset Fire and Rescue Service in 1994 as a Firefighter, moving on to work in many areas of the Service until he was appointed Assistant Chief in 2012. His most recent role has been Director for Operations in the newly combined Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Ben will be working with the current CFO Darran Gunter and Fire Authority Members over the following months to ensure a seamless transition. Ben says “I am delighted to have been offered and accepted the position of Chief Fire Officer (Designate) for this fantastic Service, I look forward to continuing on our journey as Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, providing the best levels of service to our communities. We have a great legacy to build on and, in particular, I would like to pay tribute to the leadership of Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter and I look forward to working with the senior leadership team to take this great service forward.”