FRES Council
The Fire and Rescue Equipment Suppliers [FRES] Council represents the manufacturers and suppliers of goods and services to the Fire and Rescue sector including appliances, personal protective equipment and associated ground fire fighting equipment.
The Council’s key role is to present the collective views of this sector of the industry, including negotiation and discussion with government and other external bodies. It links suppliers with Fire and Rescue practitioners and other stakeholders. FRES Council acts as a strong and consistent industry voice and a key influencer in the decisions that affect the industry.
It is made up of 15 elected members representing small, medium and larger FIA member companies:
Chair: Bernie Higgins, Cold Cut Systems UK Ltd
Vice Chair: Brian Hesler, Draeger Safety Systems UK
Secretary: Ian Moore, FIA
Member: Abby Hannah, Steadfast
Member: Suzanne Prince, W L Gore & Associates
Member: Sarah Adamson, Angloco Ltd
Member: Derek Gotts, Supply Plus
Member: Ian Callaghan, PBI Products
Member: Lesley Routh-Jones, AW Hainsworth & Sons Ltd
Member: Tim Wight, Texport
Member: Alistair Brown, Angloco
Member: James Jones, Vimpex
Member: Dominic Wellman, Capita Plc (Fire Service College)
Member: Paul Cartwright, Aico Ltd
Member: David Matthews, FIPPE Ltd
Council meets at least quarterly, usually at FRS HQs, and welcomes both internal and external guests to these meetings.
We input into many operational aspects of the FRSs as well as maintaining comprehensive representation on relevant British, European and International Standards Committees.
The Council has significant recognition from key bodies, including the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the Home Office and the Local Government Association as well as being a member of the Fire Sector Federation.
During the current pandemic emergency, we have been working alongside the National Fire Commercial Transformation Programme (NFCTP) Team to connect suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment to UK Fire and Rescue Services, to enable those services to carry out their role in supporting the Health Sector. Fire and Rescue Services have also been able to access the Fire Industry Association’s outstanding online training courses free of charge and over 30 FRS have taken advantage of this to keep their staff training up to date.