Derek Hobbs Email and Phone Number

Retired Operational Fire Service Station Commander of 30 years experience with a demonstrated history working within the Public Sector.I am fortunate to continue to work for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service within the Property Department in a support role.

Transferred from Dunstable Community Fire Station to Station Commander, Kempston and Ampthill Community Fire Stations. Kempston Station has both whole time and on-call personnel offering me a new managerial challenge which I readily embraced. The Station has specialist skills in Road Traffic Collision and Large Animal Rescue, covering a large area of both urban and rural setting. I continued to responded to a range of incidents as a flexi-duty officer further enhancing my operational skill set still ensuring safe and effective Command and Control throughout these incidents.Ampthill Community Fire Station is crewed by on-call fire-fighters. The station is located in a small market town between Bedford and Luton with a population of approx 8,000 people. The station has both an operational pump and one of the Services 3 rural water tenders.I again had responsibility for maintaining Station budgets, formulation of annual station plans from demo-graphical data reflecting the differing communities of these towns, I had direct managerial responsibility over these 2 stations for approximately 70 personnel both operational and support staff.

Station Commander, Dunstable Community Fire Station. This Station covers a wide range of specialist skills to include rope and complex patient rescue. I responded to a range of operational incidents as a flexi-duty officer assuming Command of these incidents, ensuring safe and effective Command and Control throughout. I had responsibility for maintaining Station budgets, formulation of annual station plans from demo-graphical data reflecting the community of Dunstable, making resources available to support this. I had direct managerial responsibility for 50 personnel both operational and support staff.

I have been a Service Training Instructor since 2005. I have instructional and teaching qualifications in the following fields:Breathing ApparatusCompartment Fire BehaviourTactical VentilationRoad Traffic CollisionSwift Water RescueLevel 2 Inland Power BoatingSafe Working At HeightC&G 7302 Cert in teachingA 1 AssessorBasic Assessment and Treatment of Trauma.I currently undertake all aspects of Service level training and have gained all instructional qualifications through the Fire Service College Moreton in Marsh Gloucestershire, Outreach Rescue, Washington Hall Training Centre Lancs and Lincolnshire Integrated Emergency Service. I have been responsible for Phase 1 Recruit Level Training at the Fire Service College, undertaking this training on a regular basis from 2005 - 2008.I am currently a DEFRA Module 4 Water Rescue Power Boat Operator and Module 5 Water Incident Manager.Having 15 years experience in the Water Rescue Field.

I served as a fire-fighter for 14 years at specialist rescue stations, having experience with specialist rescue units, aerial platforms and rescue boats. I then undertook promotion, again working at specialist rescue stations gaining experience in station based management, being responsible for the daily running of watches at both Crew and Watch Commander Level.In 2005 I undertook a staff role within the Service as a Training Instructor.