Chief Fire Officer Receives Birthday Honours

Our Chief Fire Officer, Rob Barber has been recognised in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Rob will receive the King’s Fire Service Medal for distinguished service to the fire and rescue sector in a career which has already spanned 27 years. Rob will receive his medal at a ceremony later in the year.

Rob has spent his whole career at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service and started as a trainee firefighter in 1997 with his first station posting at Newcastle Fire Station. Over the next two decades he progressed through the ranks working at fire stations across the county and in teams at our headquarters before joining our Principal Management Team in 2014. In 2021 Rob was appointed Chief Fire Officer.

As well as heading up our organisation Rob has led on a number of national projects. He is the National Fire Chief Council lead for the cultural Core Code of Ethics which all fire and rescue services are encouraged to adopt. He is one of two project executives for the direct entry programme, which has seen individuals with a wealth of experience in other sectors join a number of fire and rescue services across the country. He is also one of two national leads on waste fires, these incidents are often difficult to manage due to their scale and so Rob has been instrumental in introducing new strategies to improve the handling of these incidents.

Chief Fire Officer, Rob Barber said: “It is an absolute honour to be recognised for doing a role I love. I genuinely think working in the fire and rescue service is one of the best jobs you could ever have. Helping people and serving the community is at the heart of everything we do and I will be accepting this award on behalf of the whole service, for the fantastic work our teams do on a daily basis to help make Staffordshire a safer place.”

Staffordshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Ben Adams said: “Rob Barber represents Staffordshire at its finest so I am delighted that he has been recognised for his service to Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Rob’s contribution to developing policy and driving sector reform nationally while championing close working with regional health services also highlights his commitment to protecting people far and wide.”