Strategic Leadership Team

Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive - Phil Shillito

Phil Shillito is the Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and came into this role in October 2022. He started his career as a firefighter at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, and joined Humberside in July 2016 as the Director of Public Safety and was later promoted to the role of Deputy Chief Fire Officer.

As the Chief Fire Officer, Phil is responsible for the leadership of the Service, providing direction and improvement. He advises the Humberside Fire Authority on all matters to ensure the Authority meets its statutory functions, through reducing risk, providing an effective response, and improving resilience whilst providing value for money.

He is National Fire Chiefs Council Lead Officer for Productivity and Efficiency and is a passionate advocate for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and was part of the team that led HFRS to become the first Fire and Rescue Service to be awarded Global Advocate status by the United Nations for their HeForShe Movement. He is chair of the Humber Local Resilience Forum, which oversees the planning for and response to, all major multi-agency incidents in the Humber region.

Phil was a founding Director of the Humber Aid Charity and is also a member of the Tribune Trust Charity.

During his time at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, he represented the Service at national and international events on improving road rescue standards, with the aim of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions.

In his spare time, Phil is a keen sportsman and has previously played representative level Rugby.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Executive Director of Service Delivery - Niall McKiniry

Niall joined Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) in 1995 as a firefighter and has progressed through the ranks becoming the Deputy Chief Fire Officer in October 2022.

Before his recent roles on the Executive Board and the Strategic Leadership Team, Niall has served at various fire stations across the region including Bridlington, East Hull, Scunthorpe and Hull Central, in addition to a variety of specialist and senior roles at Service Headquarters.

As Deputy Chief Fire Officer, he is responsible for the Emergency Response and Prevention and Protection Directorates, which he manages through the Strategic Leadership Team.

Niall is the National Fire Chief’s Council Strategic Lead for Evaluation under the Community Risk Programme and is an enthusiastic advocate for improving the safety, health and well-being of the communities across the region.

Niall is the Race Equality Ambassador for the Service and the Chairperson for the Sports and Welfare Section, and he is a keen sports and fitness enthusiast. He is a qualified and experienced Strategic Incident Commander and holds a Master’s in Business Administration, as well as other post graduate leadership qualifications.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Executive Director of Corporate Services - Matt Sutcliffe

Matt joined Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) in June 2001 and was initially posted to Blue Watch at Immingham West Fire Station. Since then, he has gained extensive experience across multiple areas of the Service, including Operational, Safety, Training, and Corporate Services. Matt holds a Master's in Business Administration as well as several other post-graduate qualifications.

Matt was promoted to the position of Assistant Chief Fire Officer in November 2022. In this role, he supports the Chief Fire Officer in providing strategic leadership, shaping the vision and direction of the Service, and driving service improvement to meet the needs of staff and communities. Additionally, Matt actively supports the Chief Fire Officer's Productivity and Efficiency work, as part of wider sector improvement initiatives led by the National Fire Chief's Council.

As part of his ongoing professional development, Matt undertook an 18-month secondment with the Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), where he played a critical role in the planning and development of Hull Falls Intervention Response Safety Team (Hull FIRST). This initiative has been recognised nationally as best practice for supporting the community. During his time at the CCG, Matt was able to further support the community and colleagues in the Health sector.

Matt takes an active role in supporting LGBTQ+ staff and communities throughout the region. This includes supporting the Service's LGBT+ Staff Group and participating in regional Pride events.

He is the official Disability Ambassador for the Service and involved in supporting the staff group, Voices for Disability.

Executive Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer - Martyn Ransom

Martyn is the Statutory Finance Officer responsible for the administration of the financial affairs of the Authority as required under the Local Government Act 1972. Martyn was successfully appointed to the role in October 2023.

As Executive Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer, he has direct responsibility for the Service’s Finance and Procurement functions.

Martyn has over 25 years of experience of working in finance and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Prior to joining the Service in January 2011 as the Finance Manager, Martyn had worked for Humberside Police and various NHS Trusts in a range of senior finance roles.

Executive Director of People and Development - Christine Cooper

Christine joined the Service on 7 February 2022, having served at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for 15 years as the Head of HR.

Christine has worked in the field of HR for over 20 years, having served at Bradford Metropolitan District Council as well as Wakefield District Council in various HR roles.

Christine is responsible for all areas of HR, Organisational Development, Occupational Health and Wellbeing, and Training.

Area Manager of Emergency Response - Steve Duffield

Steve joined the Service in June 2001, and his first posting was to White Watch at Cromwell Road Fire Station.

Steve went on to undertake a variety of roles throughout the Service, including senior roles specialising in fire safety and prevention and protection.

Steve was promoted to Area Manager of Service Improvement in October 2022 and then moved to Emergency Response in October 2024. He is responsible for Emergency Response across the four local authorities, Fire Service Control and Emergency Preparedness.

Area Manager of Prevention, Protection, Fleet and Estates - Dom Purchon (temporary in role)

Dom joined the Service in July 1998 as an On-Call firefighter, becoming Full-Time in April 2000. Dom has served at a variety of stations across both banks of the Humber, as well spending time within Prevention and Protection departments.

Dom was promoted on a temporary basis as Area Manager of Prevention, Protection, Fleet and Estates in October 2024; he is responsible for public safety across the Humber region.

Area Manager of Service Improvement - Mike Anthony (temporary in role)

Mike joined Humberside Fire and Rescue Service in May 2024, having started his Full-Time fire service career in 2008 with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. Mike has previously spent a number of years working as an On-Call Firefighter at Hornsea. He has worked in several roles including Training, Emergency response and, before moving to Humberside, was the District Commander for Barnsley.

Mike has contributed at a National Level to some of the learning from recent heatwave events in his role as a Wildfire Tactical Advisor. He has been a keen ambassador for the Armed Forces Community and lead his previous Service in gaining the Ministry Of Defence Employee Recognition Scheme Gold award.

In November 2024, Mike was appointed as the Temporary Area Manager of Service Improvement and is responsible for Corporate Assurance, Health, Safety and Environment, Corporate Risk and Intelligence and ICT.