Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has won the Fire Safety Education award as part of the inaugural Emergency Services Awards. The ceremony, held at Arsenal FC's Emirates Stadium, April 13, 2011 recognised outstanding achievement by teams in the fire, police and ambulance sectors.

Andy Kerr from Astrium GEO-Information Services presented the award to Gordon Hunter, Deputy Chief Fire Officer of Essex County Fire and Rescue, in recognition of the county's successful engagement with local community groups to help raise awareness of fire safety across Essex. Other shortlisted fire and rescue services were Humberside, Bedfordshire and Luton, Cornwall and Cleveland Fire Brigade.

Following the presentation of the award, Astrium's Andy Kerr said: "At Astrium we work closely with fire and rescue services across the UK and internationally, and our SAFEcommand range of solutions provides front line fire crews with direct access to critical location and risk information. Our focus is on making sure crews always have access to the latest information, so we're delighted to support the Emergency Service Awards and recognise the dedication and commitment of the broader emergency services community."