Two councillors have been elected to lead Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.
Councillor John Davies from Pembrokeshire will serve as chair, with councillor Matthew Crowley from Neath Port Talbot as deputy chair, following their election at the authority’s annual general meeting on Monday, June 9.
Cllr Davies said: "It is a huge privilege to be elected chair at a time of significant changes and challenges within the fire and rescue service sector in Wales.
"I will endeavour, along with my fellow fire authority colleagues, to engage with all stakeholders, from the staff who shape the service, to the members of the public we represent and protect.
"It is an honour to be associated with a service that continues to effectively serve its communities at their hour of need."
Cllr Davies joined the Fire Authority in May 2022 and has served as deputy chair since 2023.
He succeeds councillor Gwynfor Thomas of Powys, who will remain a member of the authority.
With a long career in public service, Cllr Davies has served on Pembrokeshire County Council since 1999 and was leader of the council from 2004 to 2012.
He also chaired the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society for a decade and was named an honorary life vice-president in 2022.
Additionally, he has served two terms on the S4C Authority and is a former High Sheriff of Dyfed.
Cllr Crowley has been a member of the Fire Authority since June 2017 and began his public sector career in 1982 with Afan Borough Council.
He recently served as mayor of Neath Port Talbot from 2024 to 2025.
Cllr Crowley said: "It is a privilege and an honour two-fold to serve as deputy chair of the Fire Authority.
"As with all public services in Wales, we have challenging times ahead, but with the commitment of our elected members and officers, we are here to provide the best fire and rescue service to the public.
"This appointment is also very poignant to me personally, as I follow in my late father's footsteps as he too was a deputy chair and then chair of the Fire Authority from 2007 to 2009."
In addition to his work on the authority, Cllr Crowley is president of Aberavon Green Stars RFC, a member of the Aberavon Lifeguard Club, a life member of the GMB Union, and chairman of governors at both Awel Y Mor and Tywyn primary schools.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service covers nearly two-thirds of Wales, including the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys, and Swansea.
It operates 58 fire stations, employs around 1,300 staff, and is the third-largest fire and rescue service in the UK.
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