Fire Commissioner Ken Knight, CBE, QFSM, London Fire Brigade

Ken joined the fire service in Surrey in 1966 following a short excursion in banking. During the 1980s he served in Devon as a Divisional Officer and the Home Office as a Senior Divisional Officer. He first joined London Fire Brigade as an Assistant Chief Officer in 1987 and was responsible for central operations and technical services during his five-year stay.

In 1992, Ken was appointed Deputy Chief Officer of Devon and was awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in the same year. He was appointed Chief Fire Officer of Dorset in 1993 where he remained until 1998 when he was appointed Chief Fire Officer of the West Midlands Fire Service. He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001.

In July 2003 Ken returned to London when he was appointed as the Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Planning.

During his career Ken has undertaken a study of the Zimbabwe Fire Service for the Overseas Development Agency. He serves and chairs a number of national and international committees. He also served as the Vice-President of the Chief and Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association (CACFOA) where he remains a member of the Board.

.