A NEW man takes charge of a North-East fire brigade today.

Stuart Errington has been appointed the chief fire officer of the County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) on an interim basis. He succeeds Susan Johnson, who retired on Friday.

Mr Errington has worked for CDDFRS for since 1993 and was most recently deputy chief fire officer, a post that will be filled temporarily by Colin Bage, until now the assistant chief fire officer.

The temporary management will be in place until the fire authority takes decisions on a longer term arrangement.

Mr Errington said it was a great honour and privilege to have the opportunity to lead the “fantastic organisation".

The brigade, along with others across the country, has faced severe funding cuts in recent years. Last September, it emerged savings of £3.6m were needed over three years – in addition to £3.5m already saved over the previous three years.

Fire chiefs proposed to cut staff, share stations with police and ambulance crews and have the Spennymoor station manned by part-time firefighters.

However, unlike other brigades, CDDFRS has not been forced to close stations entirely - and it has been able to invest in a new headquarters at Belmont and build a new £5m Durham fire station at Sniperley.

Mr Errington, who started his career as a firefighter, said he would be working hard to ensure the brigade was “as prepared as we can be for any changes or further efficiency savings that we need to make in coming years”.

“Over the last 10 years the fire and rescue service has transformed from an organisation predominantly focused on responding to fires to one that is focused on keeping people safe.

“We do this through a wide range of prevention activities as well as having a world class emergency response capability. CDDFRS is one of the highest performing fire services in the country but we will need to continue to drive innovation and find new ways of working if we are to continue to flourish against the threat of further funding cuts.

“I’m fortunate to have a fantastic team of people working with me across all aspects of the service who I know will go the extra mile to help ensure our continued success.”