Release date: 6 May 2025
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has appointed Gary Ball as its new Deputy Chief Fire Officer.
Gary took on the role of Interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer last month and has now been recruited to the role permanently. The appointment follows on from the departure of his predecessor, Matt Cook, who recently took on the role of Chief Fire Officer at Avon Fire & Rescue Service.
Gary joined Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service as a firefighter in 2002 and served the communities of Portsmouth and Southampton for 12 years.
He then joined West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service as a Station Manager at Bognor Regis in 2017, and last year he became the service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer.
Speaking of his appointment, Gary said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as Deputy Chief Fire Officer and I feel incredibly proud to serve the communities of West Sussex in this role.
“I know that staff throughout the service work incredibly hard to support each other, as well as the people of West Sussex and beyond. It’s a great honour to become Deputy Chief Fire Officer and I will do my utmost to support my colleagues and our communities to the fullest.”
During Gary’s time in West Sussex, he has worked on key projects such as implementing His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Improvement Plan, which has seen huge improvements in the service’s transformation journey, and the introduction of our Performance and Assurance Framework which provides structure and governance arrangements to ensure that statutory obligations are being suitably scrutinised and delivered.
Gary also serves as the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Lead for On-call, taking on national responsibility for work involving the retained duty system (the operating model for retained/on-call firefighters).
Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, added: “Gary has made a huge impact during his time in West Sussex and has a proven track record of successfully delivering improvements and meaningful projects.
“Tenacity, enthusiasm and determination are all qualities that Gary possesses, and these are equally the same traits that will see him thrive as Deputy Chief Fire Officer and continue to drive West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s performance even further forward.”
We are working to address succession plans for the appointment of a new Chief Fire Officer, following Sabrina Cohen-Hatton’s recent appointment at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service. An announcement will be made in due course.
