Stuart Errington joined County Durham Fire Brigade in January 1993 as a firefighter. Throughout his career he served at several fire stations and in support departments across the service. He was appointed chief fire officer, on an interim basis, in August 2015, being made substantive on March 21, 2016. Mr Errington is the first person in the service’s history to progress internally from firefighter to chief fire officer. He said: “For any firefighter it is a huge privilege to receive the Queen s Fire Service Medal (QFSM) and to be formally recognised for the contribution you make to the fire and rescue service. It has been an unbelievable honour to serve the communities of County Durham and Darlington for the last 28 years. I’m immensely passionate about the area and the people who live here.