THE chairman of Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service has promised to protect the safety of local communities.

Cllr David Topping was re-elected as chairman of the authority at its annual general meeting on Wednesday (June 8).

Cllr Topping said: “I am delighted to take on once again the role of Cheshire Fire Authority Chair, an authority that has been recognised as the best performing in the country.

“This is a fantastic organisation to be involved with, full of people who are passionate about what they do.

“I intend to do all that I can to build on what we have already achieved and help Cheshire even safer for our communities while at the same time investing in both wellbeing and expertise of our firefighters.”