Cheshire Fire Chief Steve McGuirk seeks new challenge in Manchester

Jun 24 2009 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE Chief Fire officer Steve McGuirk has been appointed to the top job at Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.

Mr McGuirk, 48, will take up the £165,000-a-year post in early Autumn, following the retirement of current county fire officer Barry Dixon.

Mr McGuirk, whose identical twin brother Tony heads up Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, joked about his new role: “There’s an interestingM62 family connection between Liverpool and Manchester. You can’t get away from a McGuirk!”

Mr McGuirk, who lives in Warrington, has sometimes been a controversial figure among firefighters because of his management style and modernisation agenda.

Mr McGuirk, who started his career with Greater Manchester as a 16-year-old, told The Chronicle: “It’s been a fantastic 10 years. I have got mixed emotions. I’m sad to be leaving but proud of what we have achieved in Cheshire which is in great shape as an organisation to move forward.”

He follows former Cheshire Chief Constable Peter Fahy who is now Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.

Mr McGuirk, who has experience of working in rural Cheshire and Berkshire but also the urban conurbation of the West Midlands, knows he could face challenges like terrorism.

“We have had terrorist attacks in Cheshire with the Warrington bomb. Clearly there remains a threat as there does in the rest of the country.”

Mr McGirk was appointed as Greater Manchester Chief Fire Officer almost 10 years to the day that he was made Cheshire’s top fire officer.

Meanwhile, deputy chief fire officer Kathryn Foreman is leaving Cheshire following a restructure and has accepted a voluntary redundancy package. Her work may include giving fire safety advice to businesses.