Ranger Fire and Security has expanded its fire risk assessment capabilities through the acquisition of Total Fire Group, a prominent fire safety consultancy located in Bolton.
This acquisition is a pivotal step in Ranger's ambition to develop a unified, national platform for fire and security services.
Enhancing delivery services
The integration of Total Fire allows Ranger to merge its existing delivery capabilities with advanced risk assessment and consultancy services. This enhances Ranger's ability to offer comprehensive customer support throughout the entire process—from initial assessment to design, installation, and ongoing safety management—highlighting the company as an all-inclusive fire and security provider.
Ranger continues to build on its strategy of partnering with local "hero" businesses, offering customers specialised fire risk assessments with solutions available directly from the broader Ranger Group.
About Total Fire Group
With over two decades of experience, Total Fire has earned a solid reputation in the North West for its superior fire risk assessments, management, and consultancy services. It is highly regarded for its work with social housing providers and housing associations, in addition to various commercial and public sector clients.
Total Fire's long-term partnerships with its clients demonstrate its commitment to ongoing support and guidance in fire risk management. This addition to Ranger's capabilities is especially crucial as regulatory requirements evolve and fire safety scrutiny intensifies.
Leadership
Darren Baird will continue leading Total Fire with the Ranger GroupDarren Baird, the founder of Total Fire and a former senior firefighter, will continue to lead the business, working closely with the Ranger Group.
His expertise is expected to be instrumental in advancing Ranger's strategy and helping manage risks for all of the Group's clients.
Strengthening fire and security offerings
Mark Bridges, CEO of Ranger Fire and Security, emphasised the importance of the acquisition: "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."
Bridges highlighted the key role of Darren Baird and the Total Fire team in enhancing Ranger's support for customers, from identifying risks to implementing solutions and providing long-term support.
Expanding reach
Darren Baird, Founder and Group Director of Total Fire Group, stated, "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."
Baird sees an opportunity to support customers more comprehensively across the UK by leveraging Ranger's resources.
Acquisition details
This acquisition represents Ranger's 17th since its inception in early 2024, and the fourth of 2026. It is a part of Ranger's ongoing strategy to integrate high-quality regional operators, forming a platform that offers top-tier fire and security services throughout the UK and Ireland.
Supported by Hyperion Equity Partners, Ranger aims to become a leading provider of fire and security services through strategic acquisitions and investments, ensuring a smooth customer experience both regionally and nationally.
Ranger Fire and Security has strengthened its fire risk assessment capabilities with the acquisition of Total Fire Group.
A leading fire safety consultancy based in Bolton, the acquisition represents a significant milestone in Ranger’s mission to build a fully integrated, national fire and security platform.
Enhancing delivery services
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.
About Total Fire
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.
Leadership
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.
Strengthing fire and security offerings
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.”
Expanding reach
Darren Baird, Founder and Group Director of Total Fire Group, said: “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.”
Acquistion details
The acquisition of Total Fire Group marks Ranger’s 17th acquisition since its formation in early 2024 and the fourth of 2026. It forms part of Ranger’s ongoing strategy to bring together high-quality regional operators to create a platform that is truly national in scope and capable of delivering best-in-class fire and security services across the UK and Ireland.
With backing from Hyperion Equity Partners, Ranger is on a mission to become the leading one-stop provider for fire and security services across the UK and Ireland. Through strategic acquisitions and investment in technology and talent, Ranger offers a comprehensive range of services at a regional and national level, all while providing a seamless customer experience.
