THE chief emergency planning officer responsible for co-ordinating the reception of 300 Kosovan refugees is to retire after 17 years service with Lancashire council.
Mike Wagstaff joined the emergency planning section of Lancashire County Council in 1985 and has seen the section move from a preoccupation with civil defence to a service which prepares and responds to civil emergencies.
There have been many occasions where the section had to respond, one of the most memorable being the preparations to accommodate the Kosovan refugees in 1999.
Mike, who lives at Freshfields, Lea, Preston, said: "Since I became the principal emergency planning officer in 1996, the number and variety of emergency incidents has increased, emphasising the need to be thoroughly prepared for whatever eventuality arises." Mike was involved in consultations over general security following the September 11 disaster. He also had a part to play in co-ordinating action over the fuel crisis in September 2000.
Mike previously spent 27 years in the armed forces where he spent much of his time as a tutor in international relations and strategic studies.
In retirement Mike and his wife Sheila plan to spend time in the Mediterranean beachcombing.
Bernard Kershaw formerly with Lancashire Constabulary will be Mike's successor.
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