Appointment of a Non-Executive Member to The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service

Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced the appointment of a Non-Executive Member to the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS).

Alistair Cathcart has been appointed as a Non-Executive (District Councillor) Member. The appointment will commence on 20 November 2024 and will end on a date not later than 19 November 2028.

NIFRS Non-Executive Member positions require a time commitment of 3 days per month and attract a remuneration of £6,643 per annum.

These appointments are made in accordance with the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland.

NIFRS protects and serves the entire population of Northern Ireland, an area of over 5,500 square miles, providing them with a range of fire and rescue services. Under the 2006 Order, the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010, and the Fire and Rescue Services (Emergencies) Order (Northern Ireland) 2011, NIFRS responds to fires, road traffic collisions and other emergencies including chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents, search and rescue incidents, serious flooding and serious transport incidents. A range of community engagement initiatives are provided to help reduce risk and keep people safe from the dangers of fire and other types of incidents that they respond to. NIFRS has 68 Fire Stations across Northern Ireland utilising a variety of crewing models using Whole-time, On-Call and Volunteer Firefighters.

The Board of NIFRS comprises the Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, a Non-Executive Chair and ten other Non-Executive Members (four of whom are District Councillors) appointed by the Department.

Notes to editors:

1. Councillor Alistair Cathcart currently serves as Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council on which he has represented Bangor Central since 2014. He is a former chair of the Ards and North Down Policing and Community Safety Partnership and twice served as Planning Committee Chair. Passionate about community and regeneration, he proposed city status for Bangor. He secured Council funding to improve Ward Park's ponds and sits on the Belfast Region City Deal Council panel that has secured funding for the Bangor Waterfront Scheme. Cllr Cathcart currently holds one other public appointment with the Department for Communities (DfC) as a Board Member of Libraries NI. This appointment requires a time commitment of 10 half day meetings per year and attracts a remuneration of £3,225 per annum. He is also a North Down Development Organisation director, and a former school governor.
2. Appointments to NIFRS are made with the approval of the Minister of Health.
3. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires the political activity of appointees to be published. Cllr Cathcart has declared that he has undertaken political activity for the DUP.
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