South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority (SYFRA) has appointed a new Deputy Chief Fire Officer following an extensive recruitment process.

Martin Blunden beat off competition from a strong field of external candidates to secure the position permanently, which he had been fulfilling on a temporary basis since January.

Martin joined SYFR in April 2015 as Assistant Chief Fire Officer with more than 20 years experience across three different fire and rescue services, having started his career in Buckinghamshire in 1992.

Martin, aged 49, is also the National Fire Chief’s Council lead for national operational learning, helping to ensure that learning from incidents that firefighters attend is shared effectively across the sector.

He was recently appointed Chair of the UK Fire & Rescue Service football section.

As part of his new role, Martin will be responsible for delivering the commitments set out in the service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan 2017-20 and leading its collaboration work with other emergency service partners.

Fire Authority Chair, Cllr Linda Burgess, said: “I would like to congratulate Martin on his appointment. The panel was particularly impressed with Martin’s recent achievements in South Yorkshire, his vision for the future of our Service and his impressive experience from across the fire sector.”