View the conference presentations.
The Annual Fire Conference and Exhibition provided an opportunity to meet in-person and discuss key strategic and practical developments impacting the fire and rescue sector over the next 12 months.
Day 1: Tuesday 10 March 2026
Workshop two: Pay structure and role reform
- Suzie Daykin, Deputy Director, Fire Strategy and Reform Unit, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Ben Selby, Assistant General Secretary, Fire Brigades Union
- Sarah Ward, Deputy Head of Workforce, Local Government Association
Workshop three: Local remediation acceleration plan
- Jenni Seex, Head of Protection and Building Safety, Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service
- Roxanne Ohene, Assistant Director of Building Safety, Greater London Authority
Workshop four: Local government reorganisation: Fire services
- Rick Hylton, Vice Chair, National Fire Chiefs Council and Chief Executive Officer, Essex Fire and Rescue Service
- Sabrina Pennington-Down, Director for Fire and Rescue, West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
Workshop five: Community infrastructure levy and planning
- Rachael Ferry-Jones, Principal Consultant, Planning Advisory Service
- Stuart Smith, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
Workshop six: Technology in the fire service
- Dr. Frank Long, General Secretary, The Institute for Civil Protection and Emergency Management, Group Manager Intelligence, Risk and Performance, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and AI Strategic Lead, National Fire Chiefs Council
Plenary session three: On-call
- Ben Brook, Chief Fire Officer, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Day 2: Wednesday 11 March 2026
Plenary Session four: Funding and finance
- Roger Hirst MBE, Vice Chair, LGA Fire and Rescue Authority and Resources Committee, Finance Champion and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Essex
- Matt Warren, Chair, Finance Committee, National Fire Chiefs Council and Chief Fire Officer, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
Plenary Session five: Civil resilience
- Patrick Goulbourne, Assistant Commissioner for Operational Resilience and Control, London Fire Brigade
- Peter Arnevall, Director and Chief Fire Officer, Greater Stockholm Fire Brigade, Swedish Fire Service
Plenary Session six: Suicide prevention
- Ceri Sumner, Chief Fire Officer, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
- Joss Gaynor, Director of Impact and Service Partnership, Firefighter’s Charity
- Paula Lyons, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Avon Fire and Rescue Service