News / Avon Fire and Rescue
Tributes paid to Avon chief fire officer
Tributes have been paid to the chief fire officer of Avon Fire & Rescue Service, who died on Saturday following a short illness.
Kevin Pearson, who was 58, joined Avon Fire & Rescue Service in 1994 and became one of the youngest chief fire officers in the UK when he was appointed in August 2001.
Pearson’s death comes after he was suspended earlier this year following a Home Office report which identified a series of backhanded pension payments, secret meetings and a bullying culture at the service; accusations which in August he claimed were part of a “witch hunt”.
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He had worked in the fire and rescue service for 37 years, starting his career as a firefighter in Cleveland and later Oxfordshire. At the time of his death he was the longest serving fire chief in the UK.
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Avon Fire & Rescure Service interim chief fire officer Mick Crennell said: “This desperately sad news has come as a total shock to all of us at Avon Fire & Rescue Service. Kevin was an experienced and capable chief fire officer who was respected and held in extremely high regard by his staff and those who knew him…
“The role of chief fire officer is demanding and all encompassing. As the longest serving chief in the country it truly was a testament to his ability, character and conviction that he held the post for so many years.
“Although I didn’t know Kevin personally, I know from those who worked closely with him he was a man of huge strength of character who had the support and respect of his staff. He achieved a great deal and must take credit for all that is good about Avon Fire & Rescue Service.”
Tributes have also been paid from Bristol and across the UK:
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In a statement, his family said: “Kevin Pearson was a much-loved family man who was adored by us all. We, his fiancée, his sons, and devoted step-children, his mother and his two brothers are totally distraught by the unexpected death of our beloved Kevin.
“He was a kind and generous man who was happier than he has ever been and the fact that his life has been so cruelly cut short has left us all so very, very sad.”
Staff across Avon Fire & Rescue Service are due to observe a minute’s silence at 5pm on Monday in memory of Pearson, who will receive a full fire and rescue service funeral.
Read more: Report slams failings in leadership of Avon Fire Service
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