Useful Background Information

This section is designed to give you extra insight and information into areas of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, that is not contained elsewhere in the site.

Whether you are a journalist looking for background information for your story or just an interested member of the public, hopefully the information contained here will be of interest.

Peter Roffey - Chairman of the Combined Fire Authority

Peter Roffey was born at Newbury Park, Essex in 1937. He joined the Army (RAVC) at the age of 18 following secondary education and retired from the colours in 1992. He was then the Corps' Regimental Secretary until final retirement in 2002.

Peter entered politics in 1997 when he was elected to represent the Melton South Division of Leicestershire County Council. He retained this seat in subsequent elections in 2001 and 2005. He was appointed to the Combined Fire Authority in 1997 and became Chairman in 2001.

Peter has a life long interest and admiration for the work of the fire service. In his youth, he lived very close to a fire training centre and spent many hours watching firefighters train for operational duty during the later years of the war and the National Fire Service (NFS). During his military service his responsibilities often included aspects of unit fire safety and risk assessment and association with senior fire officers, in the days of Regional Home Defence planning in the 1990’s.

Peter and his wife Janet live in Melton Mowbray. They have been married since 1957 and have two sons and four grandchildren. Peter’s interests are in public service through local government (he is also an elected member of Melton Borough Council) and working in the voluntary sector. His recreational pursuits are enjoying the company of his wife, walking the dog and relaxing in Norfolk when time permits.

Dave Webb - Chief Executive Officer, Chief Fire and Rescue Officer

Dave Webb was born in Solihull in 1959 joining the West Midlands Fire Service at the age of 18 in 1977.

Progressing through the service, he spent a number of years helping to develop community fire safety within the West Midlands and on a national level. Whilst Divisional Commander of ‘A’ Division of the West Midlands covering Birmingham and its surrounding district, he was promoted in 2000 to Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Nottinghamshire.

Dave joined Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service as the Chief Fire Officer on the 1st September 2002. Dave is the Project Director for the FiReControl/Firelink Project in the East Midlands and is currently the Regional Chair for the Association of Principal Fire Officers (APFO). In addition, Dave is also the Chair of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) and Chair of the World Rescue Organisation (WRO).

Dave was awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal (QFSM) in the 2008 Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Dave is a fan of most sports but has a particular liking for football, rugby, cricket and motor sport. He also enjoys a wide range of music. He lives with his wife Nina in south Leicestershire.

Ian Scarrott - Director of Organisational Development, Deputy Chief Fire and Rescue Officer

Ian joined Leicestershire in 2001 after 20 years with the London Fire Brigade. After serving at a number of East London stations, he worked in officer training, fire safety policy and finally as a Senior Divisional Officer responsible for operational policy and the emergency planning function.

On joining Leicestershire, Ian headed the Community Safety Directorate before taking responsibility for Corporate Resources in 2004. In December 2005 Ian was promoted to Deputy Chief Fire and Rescue Officer and is now Director of Organisational Development.

He is married with two sons and lives in Rutland.

Howard Robinson - Director of Corporate Resources, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer

Howard Robinson joined the West Midlands Fire Service in 1978. As an Operational Firefighter and Junior Officer he served in the Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham areas. Whilst progressing through the service, Howard specialised for a number of years in the field of fire safety, dealing with legislation enforcement, safety policy and large complex buildings.

In 1990 Howard was seconded to the Fire Service College where he was an Instructor in fire safety engineering and the lead officer for fire investigation.

On promotion to Senior Divisional Officer, Howard was the functional head of the Community Relations Department with responsibility for all community safety, fire prevention and youth work. Following a restructure, Howard became the Head of Training and Development where he led on the introduction of the competency based training system. Before leaving the West Midlands Howard was the temporary Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer in charge of Performance and Planning.

Howard moved to Leicestershire in 2004 in the role of Director with responsibility for Community Safety. In June 2009, Howard moved into his current role of Director of Corporate Resources.

Howard is married with two daughters and with his family he enjoys all outdoor activities and personally enjoys motor sport, fishing, rugby and wine.

Steve Lunn - Director of Community Safety, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer

Steve Lunn was born in Worcestershire in 1966 and, whilst employed as an engineer at a local company, joined Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade as a retained firefighter in 1985.

In 1986 he became a wholetime firefighter and has since been promoted on a number of occasions and held a number of management positions including a secondment to the New Dimension project with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) between 2002 and 2004.

Steve joined Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service as the Area Manager for Operational Technical Services in February 2004. Since his appointment he has been involved in a number of key projects and has overseen the introduction of the Technical Rescue Team, the replacement of rescue equipment and the management of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment process. In December 2005, Steve was promoted to Director of Corporate Resources. In June 2009, Steve moved into his current role of Director of Community Safety.

Although getting on in years (by his own admission) Steve still plays rugby and is involved in coaching potential stars of the future at his club.

Trevor Peel - Director of Finance and Corporate Risk Management

Trevor is a qualified CIPFA accountant and has worked for Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service since October 2003. He has worked in Local Government since 1979 and has worked for Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council and Leicestershire County Council. He is Treasurer to the Combined Fire Authority and the East Midlands Regional Management Board.

Trevor lives in Nottingham with his wife and three children. His interests include watching football, walking, reading, gardening and enjoys spending time with his family at his static caravan on the Lincolnshire Coast.