Ranger Fire and Security has 17th acquisition in the bag

l-r: Darren Baird; Managing Director – Total Fire Group, Mark Bridges; CEO – Ranger FS, Ian Teader; CSO – Ranger FS

Ranger Fire and Security has strengthened its fire risk assessment capabilities with the acquisition of Bolton-based fire safety consultancy, Total Fire Group.

The addition of Total Fire will enable Ranger to combine its existing delivery services with standalone best-in-class risk and consultancy expertise, providing customers with support across the entire lifecycle – from initial risk assessment to design, installation and ongoing safety management – and strengthening Ranger’s position as a comprehensive fire and security partner.

This builds on Ranger’s strategy of delivering services through local ‘hero’ businesses, giving customers the ability to obtain specialist fire risk assessments which they can then directly remedy via the wider Ranger Group.

Established for more than 20 years, Total Fire has built a strong reputation across the North West for delivering high-quality fire risk assessments, fire risk management and consultancy services. The business is widely recognised as a market leader in supporting social housing providers and housing associations, alongside a broad range of commercial and public sector clients.

The business has also developed long-term fire safety partnerships with clients, providing ongoing support, guidance and management of fire risk actions. This added capability to Ranger’s suite of services is particularly important at a time when regulatory requirements continue to evolve and organisations face increasing scrutiny around fire safety, compliance and risk management.

Darren Baird, Founder of Total Fire and a former firefighter who held senior roles within the fire service, will remain with the business, continuing to lead its operations while also working closely with the wider Ranger Group. His experience will play a key role in strengthening Ranger’s strategy and will support work to mitigate and manage risk across all of the Group’s customers.

Baird said of the acquisition: “Our focus has always been on helping organisations understand and manage their fire risk in a practical and effective way. By becoming part of Ranger, we can now take that approach further and at a larger scale, combining our consultancy expertise with Ranger’s extensive delivery capabilities.

“There is a clear opportunity to support customers more holistically, from identifying risks and then helping ensure they are properly addressed and managed over time. Being part of Ranger also gives us the platform to expand our reach and bring our services to more customers across the UK.”

Mark Bridges, CEO of Ranger Fire and Security, said: “Bringing Total Fire Group into Ranger is a critical step in strengthening our overall fire and security offering. As customer expectations and regulatory requirements continue to increase, having deep expertise in fire risk assessment and ongoing risk management is essential.

“Darren Baird and the team at Total Fire will help us to significantly enhance Ranger’s support for customers from the earliest stage of identifying and understanding risk, through to delivering the right solutions and long-term support.

“By working with local ‘hero’ businesses like Total Fire, we can ensure customers receive expert fire risk advice, with any issues seamlessly addressed through our wider team of experts. This strengthens our existing capabilities while unlocking further cross-selling opportunities, as we continue to build a national one-stop solution for all fire and security needs.”

The acquisition of Total Fire Group marks Ranger’s 17^th acquisition since its formation in early 2024 and the fourth of 2026.