A NEW Chief Fire Officer has been appointed for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Ben Ansell has today been appointed the new chief officer following the recent retirement of Darran Gunter.

Mr Ansell’s appointment comes after a national recruitment process in which it was unanimously recommended to the Fire Authority that he be promoted from his position as Assistant Chief Fire Officer of Dorset and Wiltshire.

Mr Ansell said: “I am delighted to have been offered and accepted the position of Chief Fire Officer for this fantastic Service, I look forward to continuing on our journey as Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, providing the best levels of service to our communities.

“We have a great legacy to build on and, in particular, I would like to pay tribute to the leadership of Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter and I look forward to working with the senior leadership team to take this great service forward.”

Mr Ansell joined the service as a firefighter in 1994 and has moved on to work in numerous areas before being appointed assistant chief in 2012.

Recently, he has been the Director for Operations in the newly combined Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority Chairman, Cllr Rebecca Knox said: “The Fire Authority and I are delighted that Ben was unanimously recommended for the position after successfully completing the recruitment process.

“Ben is passionate about working to make the people of Dorset and Wiltshire safer and has a strong track record of working with Fire Authority members to change and save lives. I look forward to working with Ben in the coming months and years and I congratulate him on his new position.”

The appointment process was supported by an expert Independent HR Advisor and the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser, Peter Holland.

Over the coming months, Mr Ansell will work alongside the current CFO Darran Gunter and Fire Authority Members to ensure a seamless transition.