National Fire Estates Group Conference
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) National Fire Estates Group (NFEG) has been established for three years. Ijaz Bashir, Head of Asset Management at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Paul Brooks, Head of Assets (Estates, Fleet & Equipment) at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, serve as the joint chairs of NFEG. The group‘s purpose is to facilitate knowledge sharing among Fire Services across the UK, address common issues affecting Fire Service properties such as contaminant control and the creation of dignified welfare facilities, and provide a unified response to emerging challenges like Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
The group‘s main priorities have been identified as Environment and Sustainability, Contaminant Control, Fire Station Refurbishment, and New Build Fire Stations. Benchmarking activities across Fire Services on estate issues have been conducted and will continue to measure best practices and compare levels of capital investment.
NFEG typically convenes three times a year, with one online meeting and two in-person events. The first in-person event in 2025 will be held at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) Headquarters on 4th June 2025. The second in-person event will be part of the Fire Station Design Conference on the afternoon of Monday, 13th October 2025. An online meeting will take place in December 2025.
The proposed agenda for the NFEG Conference on 4th June includes a tour of the SFRS National Training Centre and several presentations on various property-related topics. The event is free to attend, but registration via Eventbrite is required. Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day. Funding for the catering has been kindly provided by Fire Estates Manager Magazine.
Click to attend the National Fire Estates Group Conference
Meet Ijaz Bashir Co-Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) National Fire Estates Group
Ijaz Bashir was appointed as the Asset Governance & Performance Manager within Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in April 2021. Ijaz took up the role of Head of Asset Management in March 2024.
Ijaz has over 30 years of public sector experience, having worked across Scotland at 3 different Local Authorities, SFRS and also with Audit Scotland to challenge and assess organisational leadership and performance at a senior level.
Ijaz has a degree in Politics and Economics, together with a Postgraduate Diploma in Information Management Systems and a Masters in Business Administration.
Ijaz started as a Graduate Trainee with Strathclyde Regional Council based in 1994. He transferred to South Lanarkshire in 1996, serving in various project management and systems roles within the Property Department. In 2001 Ijaz moved to East Renfrewshire Council to become the Quality Manager within the Property Department.
In 2005, Ijaz was appointed as the Property Investment Manager for South Lanarkshire Council, before transferring to work for Audit Scotland in 2012. In 2013 Ijaz was appointed as the Asset Systems Manager at South Ayrshire Council within the Place Directorate.
Ijaz has worked within SFRS since 2021, the remit of his role as Head of Asset Management includes, to develop, lead, manage and ensure the effective delivery of the Asset Management function within the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, specifically within the following areas of responsibility:
- Asset Governance and Performance
- Fleet Services
- Property Services
- Environment and Carbon Management
- Equipment and Logistics
- Research and Development
Ijaz assumed the role of co-chair of the NFCC National Fire Estates Group in October 2021 as a means to encourage more dialogue, learning and discussion amongst all fire and rescue services.
IJAZ BASHIR
Head of Asset Management
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Meet Paul Brooks Co-Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) National Fire Estates Group
Paul joined RBFRS on 20 November 2023 as Head of Assets in the Operations and Service Delivery Directorate. This was a new post, created to provide strategic leadership across the assets service, integrating estates, fleet and equipment functions covering 17 sites.
Prior to joining RBFRS, Paul was the Assistant Director, Estates, Projects & Sustainability at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) covering all five of their sites in London, Manchester and Duxford. During this time, he chaired the Estate and Asset Management Working Group for the Department of Digital Culture, Media and Sport, and he was also on the planning committee for the International Museum Construction Congress. As a result, he retains strong ties and networks within the cultural sector, including being a member of the London Chapter of the International Association of Museum Facility Administrators Alumni.
He joined IWM after a busy and rewarding career spanning 39 years in the Royal Engineers, which included many deployed operations. He has delivered civil engineering support, facility management services, and project and programme management services worldwide, including the Falkland Islands, Broader Middle East, Cyprus, Bosnia, Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Belize, Kenya, Norway, Afghanistan and USA, as well as UK and Northern Ireland. Some of his more interesting roles have included management of diverse indigenous work forces in far flung parts of the world and working on capacity building to deliver military effect. His last role in the Army was with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, leading and managing forward based military-led teams providing hard and soft facilities management and project management services in Nepal, Brunei and Singapore, along with safe systems of work oversight in Belize and Kenya.
Since joining RBFRS, he has had to hit the ground running, integrating three important functions into a single service, developing key asset strategies to support the Department’s work delivering operational workplace services, projects, security and realising commercial value. He is also leading on sustainability to help RBFRS meet its statutory and moral obligations, now and for the future, which has included securing important grant funding from central government to decarbonise the estate.
Paul assumed the role of co-chair of the NFCC National Fire Estates Group in October 2024 and is looking forward to the collaborative benefits that can be achieved across all fire and rescue services.
PAUL BROOKS
MSc CEng FInstRE CIWFM MCGI
