Fire chief to step down after 31 years

Richard Hannigan, 56, will step down as chief fire officer and chief executive at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service on March 31, ending more than 31 years of service with the brigade.

After working for seven years in industry as an industrial chemist and computer programmer, he joined the brigade on September 13 1982 as a firefighter at Immingham.

He went on to work in nearly every department before being appointed as chief in May 2011.

The brigade has cut attendances by 46 per cent over the last 10 years and achieved fewer than 10,000 emergency calls for the first time in the last financial year.

The father-of-two, who lives in North Lincolnshire, said: “We are a service that’s dedicated to protecting those in distress. I can say with confidence everybody throughout the service is lined up behind that objective.”