IT’S been a year since Hereford and Worcester’s chief fire officer, Mark Yates, took over the role. However, he says: “I still consider myself to be new.” The 47-year-old started as the head of the two counties’ fire service on April 1 last year, and the past 12 months have been busy to say the least.

The warm welcome he has received from residents and colleagues alike has certainly helped.

“When you apply for a post on the other side of the country, you see the area, meet people and staff,”

said Mr Yates.

“But it’s not until you get here that you find out the truth. The attitude of staff has been very welcoming of me and positive, despite economic times. It’s been a joy to be here.”

Mark Yates’s enthusiasm is infectious. It seems he has firmly taken the bit between his teeth.

“What I wanted to do is lay the foundations for the future,” he said. “I’m not here for the short term, I’m here for the long term.”

Already Mr Yates, former deputy chief fire officer in Hertfordshire, has been involved in developing a shared control room with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The move follows the collapse of plans for a regional fire centre in Wolverhampton.

“It means we retain our staff, retain local knowledge and retain our relationship with fire control,”

said Mr Yates, who hopes the change will be operational in the next 12 months. “We’re at the forefront of the country with that.

“We will be able to see resources in real time and deploy them more quickly and efficiently.”

The service is set to benefit from more technological advances.

From midnight last night, firefighters started wearing new state-of-the-art lightweight protective clothing which can withstand temperatures reaching hundreds of degrees Centigrade – a far cry from the plastic leggings and cork helmets of Mr Yates’ days as a young firefighter.

Crews have already been provided with the best breathing apparatus on the market and a fleet of new fire engines, while there are plans afoot to provide increased and improved training facilities at four sites across the two counties.

The service will also investigate a revision or replacement of a number of fire stations, including Worcester, but the proposal is still in its early stages.

Some might say it’s an ambitious programme to roll out during times of austerity. The service is well prepared for the challenges it faces over the next two years but it is likely to be December before communities minister Eric Pickles reveals how deep the cuts will be in the third and fourth years.

Mr Yates admitted it was inevitable that there would be reductions in staff numbers as budgets were squeezed, but was quick to reassure members of the public that their safety and that of firefighters would not be compromised.

In the meantime, he wants to continue to drive down deaths from fire (one in the last 12 months) and incidents of fire by educating people about fire prevention through schemes such as the free home fire safety checks.

Another area of focus has been retained firefighters. “We have put a lot of effort into retained because they cover a lot of smaller places and more rural areas,” said Mr Yates.

“It’s very difficult to be retained firefighters nowadays so we’ve invested a lot of time and effort in making life as a retained firefighter a lot easier. They’re very important to us.”

He said it was important to invest in the areas which mattered most to members of public.

“Even in these austere times, we continue to invest in the safety of our firefighters,” said Mr Yates.

“It’s important to the community that they can be sure firefighters are well trained and well equipped.

“I’ve had really great support from the fire authority, who share my vision. Hereford and Worcester has been lean and mean for a number of years.

“We’ve made savings over the past seven years so some of the areas where other services have had to cut we’ve dealt with already.

Despite the tough financial times ahead, Hereford and Worcester’s chief fire officer said he remained optimistic the service would continue to deliver.

“It’s going to be difficult and we will be reducing the numbers of staff we have, bearing in mind we have staff who do lots of different things,” he said.

“I can’t tell you who, when and where. The prediction is we may have to save £2.5 million in years three and four.

“It’s a serious business, fire fighting, and it’s sometimes deadly serious.

“What I want to do is protect frontline service delivery but do it with fewer people, and do it better and more effectively.

“We started from the top with one less assistant chief fire officer (saving in the region of £140,000).

“I’m very optimistic. I think staff are optimistic. They’re absolutely the right calibre and type to get us through this. I’m very privileged to be chief fire officer.”