[
Phil Toase CBE, vice-president of the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) and chief fire officer and chief executive of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, has become the new chairman of BAFE. He takes over from Ken Knight, commissioner for the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, who stood down after three years.
Phil started his fire service career at Dewsbury in 1974 and returned to that station as its commander in 1986. Four years later he was promoted to the rank of senior divisional officer and in July 1995 became the county’s assistant chief officer responsible for fire safety. He was promoted to deputy CFO and head of operations in March 1999 and appointed chief fire officer/chief executive in January 2000.
As well as holding a BSc in Fire Safety Technology and Management, Phil is a fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers and a member of the City and Guilds Institute. He is also a tireless worker on behalf of the wider fire and rescue service, as well as his own West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. His commitment to driving forward the community fire safety agenda is now accepted as best practice and forms the cornerstone of the national modernisation programme.
BAFE says that the last three years witnessed unparalleled growth in both the number of registered companies, and BAFE’s influence in fire protection.