New deputy chief fire officer 'incredibly proud' to serve West Sussex

Gary Ball, whose appointment to the role was announced earlier today, joined the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service as a firefighter in 2002, and served Portsmouth and Southampton for 12 years before he joined West Sussex Fire and Rescue in 2017.

Starting off as a Station Manager in Bognor Regis, he was made Assistant Chief Fire Officer last year, all ahead of today’s announcement.

“I am delighted to have been appointed as Deputy Chief Fire Officer and I feel incredibly proud to serve the communities of West Sussex in this role,” Gary said.

“I know that staff throughout the service work incredibly hard to support each other, as well as the people of West Sussex and beyond. It’s a great honour to become Deputy Chief Fire Officer and I will do my utmost to support my colleagues and our communities to the fullest.”

During his time on the force, Gary helped implement His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Improvement Plan, as well as introduce the Performance and Assurance Framework, which ensures the force’s legal obligations are being properly delivered.

Gary is also the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Lead for On-call, which means he assumes national responsibility for work involving retained firefighters.

Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, added: “Gary has made a huge impact during his time in West Sussex and has a proven track record of successfully delivering improvements and meaningful projects.

“Tenacity, enthusiasm and determination are all qualities that Gary possesses, and these are equally the same traits that will see him thrive as Deputy Chief Fire Officer and continue to drive West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s performance even further forward.”

A spokesperson for West Sussex Fire and Rescue said force staff are working hard to ensure succession plans for a new Chief Fire Officer, with an announcement due shortly.