AVON Chief Fire Officer Simon Shilton has announced his retirement following a “turbulent few years” for the fire and rescue service.

CFO Shilton submitted his resignation in September with six months' notice, and the search for his successor began on Wednesday, November 6, when the cross-party fire authority committee will consider allocating £20,000 for an executive search firm.

The position of Chief Fire Officer comes with an annual salary of £164,351

CFO Shilton, who has served in fire and rescue services for 32 years, stepped up from assistant chief fire officer in March 2022 when predecessor Mick Crennell retired.

In 2017, the Home Office’s Baker Report revealed “deep-seated cultural issues”, a lack of racial diversity, “endemic” bullying, particularly of staff from ethnic minorities, and an “old boys’ club” which made backdoor payouts.

Then in December 2018 another damning report, by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), found three “causes of concern”, including a failure to do enough to protect the public through fire safety regulation.

The two other areas given the worst rating of “inadequate” were promoting the right values and culture, and ensuring fairness and promoting diversity.

The report said employees were “humiliated by their peers” and women treated “inappropriately”.

In response, the service produced an action plan including sweeping measures to introduce “zero tolerance” to bullying, harassment and discrimination, and new ways for victims to report incidents.

In November 2023, Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) was rated inadequate in four of 11 areas, including its core duty of responding to emergencies, notably that the mobilisation system kept crashing during 999 calls, a serious concern that has since been fixed.

HMICFRS found that some staff used sexist language as “banter,” which CFO Shilton described as “upsetting” and “heartbreaking.”

He said he “did not recognise” the service described in the report and was publicly backed by councillors on the Avon Fire Authority committee.

Then last month a revisit found that firefighters and staff were “scared” to report bullying and harassment because they feared a QR code that bosses had given them to scan to report incidents would identify them.

Announcing his retirement on Tuesday, November 5, CFO Shilton said: “After fulfilling 32 years of a lifelong dream to be a firefighter, it comes with a heavy heart that I have made the decision to retire from Avon Fire & Rescue Service.

“It has been my pleasure and privilege to serve my community, and I am hugely grateful for the opportunities that the fire and rescue service locally and nationally has provided me during my career.

“I want to say thank you to each and every member of staff , your hard work and devotion to making things better and ensuring the service is an inclusive and welcoming place for all is relentless.”

A report to the AFA committee noted that many senior fire officers are retiring due to recent pension tax changes, prompting CFO Shilton to offer a limited extension of his tenure if a new chief fire officer isn’t found in time for recruitment.