Biography

Chris was born in Truro, Cornwall in 1985. He joined the UK Fire and Rescue Service in 2003 as an on call firefighter where he attended a number of significant incidents, including the Boscastle Floods in 2004.

It was shortly after this that Chris was offered the opportunity to attend his first training courses in rope and water rescue. It was these courses which spurred Chris to pursue a career focussing on Specialist Rescue.

In 2007 he moved to the West Midlands where he became a Wholetime Firefighter, and in 2012 transferred to the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service before moving to Fife Fire and Rescue prior to the amalgamation of the Scottish Services into the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service where Chris was stationed at Glenrothes, a specialist water rescue station.

In 2014 Chris was successful in his first temporary promotion to Perth Training Centre as a Crew Manager who specialised in the delivery of Breathing Apparatus, Road Traffic Collision Extrication, Trauma and Water Rescue.

Over the next few years Chris developed his knowledge and experience within the subject of Specialist Rescue and undertook qualifications in Advanced Water Rescue, Rope Rescue Supervisor, Water Rescue Technician Instructor with both Outreach Rescue and Rescue 3, Rope Rescue Instructor with Outreach Rescue, City and Guilds Confined Space, Swiftwater Flood Rescue Powerboat Operator, and completed his Diploma in Specialist Rescue from Coventry University.

During this time Chris undertook several different postings in Scotland, finishing up as Crew Manager and acting Watch Manager when required at Perth Technical Rescue Station prior to moving to Kent Fire and Rescue in 2017 as a Watch Manager - Operational Training Manager and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Water and Flood Rescue.

In 2020 Chris was successful in the Station Commander process for the London Fire Brigade and served in a number of positions including Station Commander for Sidcup, Stratford and Plaistow and in the Training Design team in HQ in London. During Chris’ time in the LFB he undertook specialist training in Urban Search and Rescue, Mass Casualty Rescue, Senior Accident Investigation, Fire Safety, Animal Rescue and Rope Rescue.

In 2024 Chris was successful in the selection process for Group Manager, Head of Operational Training in the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Here Chris was the Group Manager for Learning and Development and acted as the organisational SME for operational training and was responsible for the delivery of acquisition, revalidation, continual professional development and quality assurance of all operational training.

In 2025, and after 21 years service, Chris decided to leave the Fire and Rescue Service to pursue a different career, one which would allow Chris to decompress following some significant incidents during his career, leaving him suffering from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Having served as a Senior Fire Safety Officer and being qualified to Diploma level in Fire Safety, Chris has moved into the Housing Sector as a Building Safety Manager (BSM). It is Chris’ hope that he can bring his operational experience from the Fire Service to assist in the safe occupancy of residents within the premises he manages.