Senior West Sussex fire officer to retire after nearly three decades of service

Neil Stocker joined the service as a firefighter at Crawley in June 1991.

Since then he has served as group manager, area manager and then assistant chief fire officer, before becoming deputy chief fire officer and director of public protection at the county council in 2017.

He also briefly served as acting chief fire officer from June to September 2019.

Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, West Sussex’s chief fire officer, said: “I had hoped this moment wouldn’t come quite so soon - I have really enjoyed working with Neil and I will certainly miss having him as my deputy.

“In his 29 years of service, Neil has become a highly respected and much loved member of our service, working tirelessly to help keep the residents of West Sussex safe.

“It is thanks to his exceptional dedication that laid the foundation for much of the improvement work we find ourselves working towards today.

“His work with the Sussex Resilience Forum, especially in the wake of Covid-19, has only cemented his role within the community as a reliable and safe pair of hands to go to in the moment of crisis.

“On a personal level, I could not have asked for a warmer welcome to the service when I joined last autumn than the one I received from Neil.

“I am thoroughly going to miss working with him, and I know that you will all join me in wishing him well in his retirement.”

Duncan Crow, West Sussex County Council’s cabinet member for fire & rescue and communities, added: “Neil has been a real asset to our fire and rescue service and has served the people of West Sussex with distinction. I know that he will be missed by people from all levels of the service. I would like to wish him all the very best in his retirement.”

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