The Assistant Chief Fire Officer of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is to leave the post in the autumn to take up an exciting new role.

Jon Lacey has been appointed as Chief Fire Officer and Executive Director for Public Safety of Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service. Jon began his firefighting career with West Sussex in 1993 as a retained firefighter. He leaves the service after working his way up through the ranks to be appointed as the service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer in 2020.

Jon said: “I have served most of my career with West Sussex and I have had the opportunity of working with some fantastic people over the last two and a half decades. It is those experiences I will be taking with me as I leave the county. It has been an honour to serve the people of West Sussex.” Jon also spent five years with Essex Fire & Rescue Service.

As the Assistant Chief Fire Officer in West Sussex he has had responsibility for the service’s Prevention, Protection and Response teams as well as the county council’s Resilience and Emergency Team. Jon is also the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) national lead for air transportation and outside of work is a keen instructor for the Air Cadets.

WSFRS Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, said: “This is fantastic news for Jon and I am sure I speak for everyone when I offer him my congratulations and say how delighted we are for him.

“Jon will be a huge loss to the service as he has such a wealth of experience gained over 24 years in the fire and rescue service, the majority with us here in West Sussex. I wish him every success in his new role.”

West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Community Support and Fire & Rescue, Duncan Crow, said: “Jon has dedicated much of his career to keeping the residents of West Sussex safe, and has been a tremendous asset to our fire and rescue service. I know I speak for everyone here at the county council in wishing him all the best.”