The June 2026 edition of FIRE Magazine leads with two features of real value to UK fire professionals: an in-depth interview with Nottinghamshire Chief Fire Officer Craig Parkin on leadership in changing times, and dispatches from Interschutz 2026 in Hanover, the world's leading trade fair for fire and rescue services. Taken together, they offer a useful snapshot of where fire service leadership and firefighting technology are heading.
Leadership insights from CFO Craig Parkin
The cover feature, titled Holding the Line, sees CFO Craig Parkin reflect on what it takes to lead a fire and rescue service through a period of sustained change. UK services are currently managing tight budgets, rising demand, new building safety duties and close scrutiny of workplace culture, all at the same time. The interview's central theme, leadership that holds steady while adapting to shifting operational demands, will resonate with senior officers and aspiring leaders alike.
For fire safety professionals outside the service, the piece is also a reminder that the people who set enforcement priorities and shape protection work are themselves navigating significant organisational change. Understanding those pressures helps consultants, engineers and contractors work more effectively with their local fire and rescue service.
Interschutz 2026: dispatches from Hanover
Interschutz, held roughly every five years, ran from 1 to 6 June 2026 at the Hannover exhibition grounds. The fair brings together around 1,300 exhibitors and visitors from more than 60 countries across firefighting, rescue, civil protection and security. FIRE Magazine's dispatches focus on the companies building the tools, vehicles, fabrics and software behind modern fire and rescue.
Product launches at the show included HAIX's next generation FIRE EAGLE 3.0 firefighting boots with a new OneTouch closure system, a good example of how even long-established categories of kit are being rethought. Expect the technologies shown in Hanover, from PPE fabrics to incident software, to filter into UK procurement over the next few years.
What this means for UK fire safety professionals
Adaptive leadership is now a core competency for fire service managers, not a nice-to-have. The pressures Parkin describes apply across UK services.
Technology showcased at Interschutz tends to set the direction for UK fleet, PPE and software purchasing in the following procurement cycles. It is worth tracking what drew attention in Hanover.
The full edition is subscriber content, but the leadership interview alone justifies a look for anyone in or working alongside a fire and rescue service.
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