News
Fire chief looks back on career
KENT’S assistant chief fire officer and director at Kent Fire and Res- cue Service (KFRS), Steve Demetriou, is to retire after 30 years with the service. Steve, who lives with his wife
and three children in Maidstone, has held regional, national and in- ternational roles, representing both KFRS and the UK Fire Service. He joined the service in 1985 as a firefighter at Margate and later helped develop new recruits at KFRS’s training centre in Maid- stone. He also headed up the commu-
nity safety team before taking on the role as director of operations in 2008. Steve received the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals. He has been involved in some significant major incidents includ- ing the great storm of 1987, the floods of 2002 and 2014, as well as several major ship fires. He was involved in the response to the capsize of the Herald of Free
Enterprise in 1987, led the firefight- ing team that was winched on board the Ever Decent container ship after it collided with a cruise liner in 1999 and also led the KFRS response to the Channel Tunnel fire in 2008. He said: “Despite terribly sad in- cidents, I have thoroughly enjoyed my 30 years as a firefighter and op- erational officer.” KFRS chief executive Ann Millington said: “It will be difficult to replace his knowledge, experi- ence and the dedication he brought to the job.”
ARRIVA buses has pledged to make improvements to its much- maligned services in south Maid- stone. Parents, pupils and residents complained about several of the company’s services, including the 5, 12, 59 and 89, which connect areas such as Staplehurst, Cox- heath, Boughton Monchelsea and Tenterden with Maidstone. MPfor Maidstone and theWeald
Helen Grant convened a meeting with the bus company, to which county, borough and parish coun- cillorswere invited, along with par- ents and teachers. Arriva has promised to address maintenance issues more swiftly
downsmail.co.uk Arriva vows to boost buses
and will replace and prioritise more frequent routes when they have breakdowns. The company will also consider providing extra capacity on school routes and employ a dedicated team of drivers for the No 5 route. A subcommittee has been set up, comprising Maidstone cabinet member John Perry, parish council- lor Peter Spearink, Invicta School head Julie Derrick, parents Marissa Avraamides and Tina Jordan and Robert Patterson from Arriva, which will monitor progress. In the meantime, Arriva has said
it will resolve issues with the smartphone app which provides live bus information.
Smokers fined for liering
SMOKERS picked up fines totalling more than £2,500 at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court. The fines were given to 15 offenders who dropped their cigarette
ends in the streets of Maidstone – some just feet from a bin. Fixed penalty notices for littering in the borough are £75, but if that
is not paid in 14 days, or is appealed, the court can impose a maxi- mumpenalty of £2,500. Ten offenders who failed to attend their hear- ingswere ordered to pay £425 each. Last year, Maidstone Council gave out 2,862 penalty notices, with
the highest fine of £610 handed down inApril.A council spokesman said enforcement was working and had resulted in a steady decline in the number of penalty notices issued each year.
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