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Who We Are.


Chair of UKRO and Chief Fire Officer of Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service, Dave Webb was born in Solihull in 1959 joining the West Midlands Fire Service at the age of 18 in 1977. Dave joined Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service as the Chief Fire Officer on the 1st September 2002.  Currently he is the Regional Secretary for CFOA and Regional Chair for the Association of Principal Fire Officers.  He has recently been elected as Vice Chair of the World Rescue Organisation. Dave is a fan of most sports but has a particular liking for football, rugby, cricket and motor sport.  He also enjoys a wide range of music.





Vice Chair of UKRO and ACO of South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, John Hoey heads up the The Challenge Development Committee and looks at how the challenge will evolve each year. Recent developments have been to allow the top team from each brigade in the UK, aiming to have the top 20 of these teams undertake a complex scenario with entrapments and life critical injuries. Out of these, the top three teams are then funded by UKRO to participate in the World Challenge. Belfast 2005 saw the introduction of a first aid (trauma) event and a trial event for an extended extrication scenario, line rescue and urban search & rescue.





Geoff is the Secretary to UKRO. Currently providing strategic direction on all fire related matters to the Chief Fire Officer of Ghana National Fire Service and Ghanaian Government . He is also International Development officer for Spain working with the Asociation Profesional de Rescate en Accidentes de Trafico (APRAT). Geoff commenced his career with Lancashire in 1971, then in 1974 on local government reorganisation transferred to Greater Manchester, in 1990 transferred to Cheshire where for the last eight years served as Head of Operations, Staff and Operational Support. In 2004 Geoff was seconded to the Government Fire Service Improvement Directorate as a Business Change Manager and in June 2005, elected to retire from the service, though remained as a senior civil servant until the contract for BCM ended in May 2007. Now retired, he continues to provide a professional contribution towards the strategic objectives of UKRO, which he has been committed to since 2002. 

 


Steve Apter is currently Group Manager for Safer Communities within Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service. Overall responsibility for risk management through community and technical safety with an agenda that includes road safety through developing effective partnerships. Steve now heads up the Road Safety Committee of UKRO which enables and facilitates the sharing of National best practise, innovation and resources throughout the UK Fire & Rescue Service in support of the agenda to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.





The Challenge Committee, led by Dick Dawson and Seth Armstrong, ensures the continued provision of a challenge package best suited to the rescue services needs throughout the United Kingdom.  Both individuals have a wealth of experience in participating and managing such challenges, and have first hand experience of what is required to bring out the best from competitors under a realistic challenge environment.Dick Dawson is currently an ADO in Notts F&RS and has a responsibility for Service Assurance. He has been with UKRO for 4 years, since Nottingham hosted the National Extrication Challenge"





Dave is currently a Group Manager with Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and is responsible for Service` Training and Development. He leads on the International Development Committee ably assisted by Cameron Black Dave has been with the UKRO for over six years and has held the position of treasure for most of them..

He has considerable experience in developing the skills of rescue services throughout the world, especially in developing countries.






Cameron Black is currently the lead officer for Road Traffic Collision Training & Development within Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s new Technical Rescue Training Centre. He has worked in the field of rescue challenge since 1996, initially as a team member and latter as a national and international assessor. Since 2002 Cameron has been involved with the UKRO as one of its section heads leading the International Development Programme, which looks at developing the rescue challenge concept and training provision in low, medium and high income countries around the world. He has created strong links with the World Health Organisation and has assisted them with their Pre Hospital Care Systems programme for low and middle income countries, in addition he has helped develop a partnership with the Global Road Safety Partnership which has produced a number of projects some of which include development work within GRSP focus countries and the production of a world edition of the new manual being produced by the UKRO and the DCLG.




Bill is part of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue`s Training and Operational Review Department as Head of Section (Trauma Management) in the Technical Rescue Training Centre. He is presently on the Task and Finish Group that is preparing a National Fire Services` `Immediate Emergency Care` manual.

Bill has taught extrication and basic trauma management techniques all around the world, especially in South Africa. He is Head Assessor of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation (UKRO) and is a Technical Advisor to the World Rescue Organisation.





Dave Glenis joined the West Midlands Fire Service in 1976 and is currently an Area Manager with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service where he is Head of Operational Resources.

Dave has been on the UKRO Committee for two years and is responsible for communications.