The new chief fire officer of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said it is a "privilege" to be appointed to the role.

Andy Cole was announced as the new chief fire officer for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service following a "robust recruitment process".

Mr Cole, who is currently the assistant chief fire officer, was appointed by the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority appointments and disputes committee on Wednesday, November 6.

He will take over as chief fire officer on January 1, 2025, following the retirement of Ben Ansell on December 31.

Mr Cole said: "It’s a privilege to be appointed chief fire officer.

"I take great pride in the service we provide and the dedicated staff who work extremely hard to ensure we deliver this service to our communities and partners.

"I am committed to working hard to provide the highest quality service to everyone who lives, works, or visits the beautiful counties of Dorset and Wiltshire."

Having begun his fire service career as an on-call firefighter at Castle Cary fire station in Somerset, he joined the then Dorset Fire and Rescue Service in 2008.

He served as an operational firefighter in the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole area for a number of years.

After being promoted to station manager, Mr Cole took on various roles supporting local stations in the Dorset area.

He was later promoted to group manager, overseeing all Wiltshire fire stations and supporting them in recruitment, development, training, and response.

In 2019, Mr Cole was promoted to area manager, responsible for leading teams developing and improving the service in a range of areas including fire control, operational procedure and guidance development, operational resourcing and the management of operational risk information and collaboration.

In early 2021, he was promoted to assistant chief fire officer, director of community safety.

In this role, over the last three-and-a-half years, he has led colleagues across Dorset and Wiltshire on operational response, prevention, protection and safeguarding.

Chair of Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, councillor Paul Oatway, said: "I am delighted to confirm that Andy has been appointed as the new chief fire officer for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service following a challenging and rigorous recruitment process.

"The Fire and Rescue Authority and I look forward to working closely with him to ensure the safety of the communities of Dorset and Wiltshire."