Derbyshire’s Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive (CFO) Gavin Tomlinson has been awarded a Kings Fire Service Medal (KFSM) for distinguished service in His Majesty the King’s birthday honours list.
Born and educated in Belper, Derbyshire, CFO Gavin Tomlinson started his career with Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service as a trainee firefighter in 1993 having previously worked in the towns knitwear industry. Over his 30-year career Gavin has worked in many areas of the Service before promotion to Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive in September 2019.
Alongside leading the counties fire and rescue service, in 2020 Gavin was appointed the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) lead for Protection. In this role, Gavin leads and drives wide ranging reform to fire safety and building regulation on behalf of the fire and rescue sector.
Gavin is also the Chair of the Protection and Business Safety (P&BS) Committee, overseeing the introduction of the Fire Safety Act. He has also been influential in the development of the Building Safety Act, preparing the fire sector for the Building Safety Regulator and overseeing the delivery of the Building Risk Review programme which co-ordinated the inspection of over 12,000 high rise premises across the country, providing essential assurance to communities and property owners in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Speaking on the announcement of his KFSM, Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Gavin Tomlinson said: “I am extremely honoured to have been awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal and named in His Majesties the King’s birthday honours list.
“When I walked through the door of the training centre 30 years ago, I could never have imagined that I would have had the career that I have – me just a local lad from Belper who started out working in the thriving knitwear industry of Belper.
“Being named as a recipient of the King’s Fire Service Medal is something that I am extremely proud of, but also something that I hope will inspire others to believe if you set your mind to something, you really can succeed.
“I didn’t go to university, in fact my education was solely in the hands of schools across Belper, but by doing something I love every day, and working hard, I have been able to make a difference to the safety of people not only across Derbyshire, but through my national work people across the whole of the UK.
“It has been and continues to be a privilege to be the Chief Fire Officer for Derbyshire and I would encourage anyone who is considering a career either as a firefighter, or in one of the many critical professional support roles in the fire and rescue service, to take that step. An exciting and rewarding career awaits, and you never know where it will take you.”