Chief Fire Officer of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, Neil Odin QFSM, has announced he will be retiring in Autumn 2025.
When Neil steps down he will have been in the top job for 7 years and had a fire service career spanning 34 years, which all started back in 1991 in Hampshire.
After spending more than 20 years with West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Neil crossed the border once again in March 2012 to take up the position of Assistant Chief Officer in Hampshire. He went on to become Chief Fire Officer of both Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in January 2018, before overseeing their merger to become one organisation in April 2021.
Neil was awarded the Queens Fire Service Medal in 2022 for his distinguished service.
Speaking about his forthcoming retirement, Neil has said:
“I feel extremely privileged to have served the community of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight as Chief Fire Officer. I have worked alongside some exceptional people, within HIWFRS, our partner organisations and within our communities, who all share the same goal, to keep our communities safer.
“I would like to thank all our firefighters and staff for the hard work they put in day and night to help keep our communities safe. Their professionalism and dedication are the reason we have a fire and rescue service to be proud of.
“I am sure my successor will bring with them a fresh outlook that will help the Service to continue to thrive, and I know they will find Hampshire and the Isle of Wight a great place to work, and that they will receive a warm welcome from the staff, partners and communities.”
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Councillor Rhydian Vaughan, Chairman of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Authority, has said:
“On behalf of the Fire Authority and the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight I would like to offer our thanks to Neil for his service to our communities.
“His professional manner and the highly effective way he has led the service is to be praised. It has been a pleasure working with Neil and his knowledge and experience has been invaluable to all of us on the Fire Authority.
“While they will be tough boots to fill, we are now starting the process to find candidates to be our next Chief Fire Officer.”
Alongside his role as CFO, Neil is also the UK National Fire Chief’s Council lead for International Affairs, having also chaired the UK Prevention Committee for 5 years previously, working with the Government to reduce the impact of fire and other emergencies.
He is Chairman of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) which brings together the UK’s rescue services to develop their skills and improve rescue standards and is also a trustee of the Blue Lamp Trust which was established to promote and enhance community safety across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The search is now on to appoint a replacement Chief Fire Officer, with Deputy Chief Officer Shantha Dickinson a potential candidate.
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