R Warburton (Bob) was a Sailor in the Royal Navy during WW2, serving on HMS Warspite when it was bombed. His injuries and impact of witnessing his friends and comrades dying because of Fire, gave him the drive to learn more about Fire and its effects. After WW2, he joined the Fire Brigade and after years of service, he joined a Fire Company as a Manager. From this role he learned the engineering aspects of Fire Protection and left to set up Cormeton Engineering in 1968.

 

Employing his 2 sons, they started building company, until his youngest son Michael Warburton Snr (Mick), saw the opportunities to grow the business and then took the reins. Michael Warburton Snr (Mick) worked as a Lab Technician prior to working for Cormeton, learning about various chemicals and their impact on Fire. This knowledge was transferred over to his role within Cormeton, quickly establishing a reputation for cutting edge engineering and technology associated with Fire Safety.

 

When Bob retired, Mick took over Cormeton Engineering, growing the business and changing its name to Cormeton Fire Protection. This soon became a registered limited company (Cormeton Fire Protection Limited) in 1979. Cormeton Fire soon became a leading provider of Fire Safety solutions nationwide, concentrating on local businesses as well as on the Marine industry. During this period, the ship building industry and the Tyne & Wear shipyards were booming, giving Cormeton an opportunity to capitalise on offering their specialist Fire Safety services, which they did. Working on numerous Royal Navy vessels as well as new builds and re-fits, Mick and Cormeton Fire, soon became the go-to for marine Fire Safety. Mick was even selected to assist with works on the Royal Navy vessel Sir Galahad, after it had been struck in the Falklands war (a sombre but vital role).

 

When the shipyards declined, Cormeton Fire expanded into other avenues of Fire Protection, remaining at the forefront, and continuing to grow the reputation, covering numerous different services, while still achieving customer satisfaction. Michael Warburton Jnr (Michael), grew up surrounded by Fire Safety, learning from an early age, the importance of the services provided by Cormeton Fire Protection. Throughout his educational career and even whilst attending university, Michael worked part time at Cormeton, developing a passion for Fire Protection and an understanding of the regulations and technologies associated with Fire Safety. When Michael joined Cormeton full time, he helped develop and expand the company’s portfolio, and it was during that period, that he was recognised as a potential candidate for an extremely important role (too important to turn down), based in London and working globally in applications, trade sales and the Marine sector.

 

During his London career, spanning several years, Michael enjoyed the privilege of working on some amazing and special projects, with a Knight of the Realm, offshore on an Oil Rig, on a celebrity chartered Super yacht, but his proudest achievement was leading a Top Secret  Project associated with the Royal Navy, Vanguard nuclear submarine fleet. After fulfilling his objectives Michael realised that the experience and skills gained during this period would be hugely beneficial do the growth of Cormeton, so he made the tough decision to move back home, re-joining the family business as a Director. With a passion for Scuba Diving as well as Fire Protection, Michael added a Dive centre and dive shop to the factory unit, adding to the cylinder testing and scuba equipment servicing facilities. When Mick eventually made the decision to retire, Michael happily grasped the opportunity with both hands, and has continued to grow and develop the company’s reputation, experience, knowledge and skillset, with a focus and determination to become the North East’s preferred “one-stop shop” for providing Fire Safety and Security solutions.