Lorraine has always lived in Bristol. She started her
career in Avon County Council in 1977, and joined AF&RS in 1987
as an administrative assistant. Over that time she has
worked in Fire and Community Safety, Service Delivery, Human
Resources, Crewing and Planning and Performance.
Lorraine has been a member of the Service Management Board (SMB)
since 2002, and has a diverse set of responsibilities for:
Information Communication Technology (ICT), Health and Safety,
Corporate and Business Planning, Strategic Development, Audit and
Inspection, Corporate Risk Management, Performance Information,
Geographic and Community Intelligence and Creative Services
(covering corporate communications, media, social marketing, events
management, production, graphic design and e.communications).
Lorraine is also AF&RS's representative on the Regional
Control Centre (RCC) project board and is responsible for the
management of Avon’s transition to the RCC. She also chairs a
number of Officer and Elected Member Committees and Forums.
This includes Avon Women's Network.
During this time she has gained a postgraduate Diploma in
Management Studies, a Masters Degree in Management and a level 7
Diploma in Leadership Mentoring and Executive Coaching.
From this she has gained a huge amount of experience and
knowledge of AF&RS and its communities.
Taking an active role in the fire and rescue service both
regionally and nationally, Lorraine is the South West’s regional
workstream leader for Strategic Planning. She is a member of
the Chief Fire Officers Association and the Institute of Leadership
and Management.
Lorraine has also arranged two national conferences on the
subject of ‘Women as Leaders in the Fire and Rescue Service' and in
2008 was runner up in a national government award for leadership in
equality and diversity.
Lorraine said: "I am very proud to be part of AF&RS.
By working hard and being dedicated to this service, I have proven
that you can reach very senior positions and add a valuable
contribution to making our communities safer."