Aidan Jennings, Chief Fire & Rescue Officer
The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Board has announced the appointment of Mr Aidan Jennings as the new Chief Fire & Rescue Officer for NIFRS.
Mr Jennings has over 28 years of experience within the Fire & Rescue Service, most recently as Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer and Director of Operational Delivery. He will take up his position on 1 December 2023.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Jennings said:
“I am extremely proud and delighted to be appointed as NIFRS Chief Fire & Rescue Officer.
“This is an exceptional organisation with exceptional people working tirelessly, day in day out, across our operational and support services to help keep people safe.
“As we embark on a new strategic journey, it is both a privilege and an honour to have the opportunity to lead this fantastic organisation. I am committed to supporting our workforce and to providing the best possible Fire & Rescue Service for the people of Northern Ireland.”
Chairperson of the NIFRS Board, Mr Jay Colville said:
“On behalf of the NIFRS Board I would like to congratulate Aidan on his appointment.
“Aidan brings substantial strategic and operational experience to this role. His commitment and dedication to NIFRS along with his passion for public safety and collaborative working, will provide the required leadership to deliver the most efficient and effective Fire & Rescue Service. I wish him well on his appointment.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Interim Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Andy Hearn for his valuable contribution to the organisation and wish him well for the future.”
Peter May, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health, NIFRS sponsoring Department said:
“I welcome the appointment of Aidan Jennings as the new Chief Fire & Rescue Officer for NIFRS. He brings a wealth of experience to the position, having spent over 28 years within the Fire & Rescue Service and leading on the response to several significant and complex incidents.
“Leading the Fire & Rescue Service is a demanding and hugely important role but I have no doubt that Aidan’s exceptional experience will ensure NIFRS continues to provide an excellent service for people in NI.”
Aidan, who lives in Lisburn, is currently NIFRS Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer and Director of Operational Delivery, with responsibility for NIFRS Response, Resilience, Prevention and Protection functions across Northern Ireland.
Aidan has over 28 years’ service, joining the then Northern Ireland Fire Brigade in 1995. He has previously held the positions of Area Commander Eastern, with responsibility for Greater Belfast and Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Director of Service Support, with responsibility for NIFRS Fleet, Engineering & Supplies, Facilities & Assets, Regional Control Centre, Operational Communications, Research & Development and Learning & Development functions.
Aidan is the NIFRS Capabilities Lead Officer and represents NIFRS nationally on the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) National Working Group and on both the UK National and Strategic Resilience Boards. Aidan is the Senior Responsible Owner for NIFRS new build Learning & Development Centre Cookstown and replacement Command & Control Mobilising Solution capital projects.
Aidan is a Level 4 Incident Commander, Multi-Agency Gold Incident Commander and a UK CBRN Gold Commander and has a proven track record in leading and managing complex multi-agency operational incidents. Aidan was the Incident Commander for the 2018 Belfast Primark fire, the Gold Commander for the April 2021 Mourne mountains wildfire incident and declared the major incident in June 2023 for wildfire impacts across Northern Ireland.