Speakers

Tom served 30 years in Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, retiring in February 2018. He then set up his own consultancy company, Fire and Fitness and did a two year stint as Fitness Advisor for GMFRS. He is Vice Chair and Retired Member advocate on the NFCC FireFit Steering Group, with a particular interest in Fitness, Health and Wellbeing as we age. During his tenure, he served many roles from firefighter, instructor, Service Fitness Advisor and finally finished his career as WM B in charge of Bispham Fire Station. Having completed his Watch PTI qualification in 1990, Tom went on to complete his Service PTI course in1996 and joined the FireFit Steering Group in 2012. Amongst numerous Fire Service and professional qualifications, Tom is a L3 Personal Fitness Instructor, working with both professional and private clients. As a fitness expert in the Fire Service, Tom has successfully worked with countless individuals, struggling with their fitness challenges, to meet their individual goals. This has been achieved through a combination of education, inspiration, individualised training programmes, allied with continuous one-to-one support and feedback. Tom became the Service's first Fitness Advisor in 2014 and set up a Fitness Policy Framework that was highly commended in an Home Office report, being cited as 'National Best Practice,' a template for other services to aspire too and replicate. Tom has been hugely influential, at both local and national level, in the continued advancement of firefighter health, fitness and wellbeing, informed by empirical, peer reviewed, scientific evidence. This approach has led to the UK Fire Service having the leading fitness, health and wellbeing policy and guidance, for emergency services, in the world. Tom has always been passionate about fitness and health and the myriad of benefits it brings, both mentally and physically. Having been an extremely keen and competitive runner and amateur Boxer, following a minor knee injury, he took to cycling and now trains and competes with the same enthusiasm in road, track, gravel and mountain biking events.