Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, has selected Rick Hylton as his preferred candidate to become the next Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Rick is currently the Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Service and was selected following a rigorous and competitive process. He came out ahead of a strong field of national and international candidates from both fire and rescue services, public and private sector organisations, with the rest of the interview panel unanimously supporting his selection.

Roger will present Rick as his preferred candidate to the Police, Fire and Crime Panel at a statutory confirmation hearing that will take place on October 21^st. Roger said: “Rick’s selection is well deserved. He is an out-standing individual who has already contributed so much to both the Service and Greater Essex as co-chair of the Essex Resilience Forum, helping to lead Essex as we worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He is highly respected as Deputy Chief Fire Officer, building trusted relationships within the Service as well as with partners and communities across Essex. He will continue to build on the great work and progress the Service has made and I, along with the rest of the recruitment panel, were impressed with his aspirations to take the Service forwards.”

Rick Hylton said: “I feel truly honoured to have been selected as the preferred candidate in this process for the Chief Fire Officer. I am privileged to be the Deputy Chief Fire Officer here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, and I welcome the opportunity to have been shortlisted to become CFO for the Service and to continue working with my colleagues.”