Awards and Past Winners

Emergency Service of the Year

About the award

The Emergency Service of the Year award will be given to the service that has demonstrated a significant difference to fire and emergency performance. The winner will demonstrate one or more of the following: a reduction in deaths and injuries, improved emergency response, excellence in operational response and significant advancements in improving the lives of the community. This award is open to any fire or emergency service.

Past winners

• 2022 - Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2018 - Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2017 - London Fire Brigade

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Collaboration of the Year

About the award

The Collaboration of the Year award will be presented to a fire or emergency individual or team that has participated in a collaboration(s) which has made a discernible improvement to the community they serve. The winner will demonstrate innovation and ingenuity, providing best practice and best value, and showing flexible and effective working practices.

Past winners

• 2022 - Ukraine Aid Response - National Fire Chiefs Council, Fire Aid, Fire Industry Association
• 2021 - Safe and Well, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, London Fire Brigade, Essex Fire and Rescue Service, Anglia Ruskin University
• 2018 - Fit, Fed and Read Partnership, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2017 - Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2016 - Youth Intervention Team, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2015 - The National Operational Guidelines Programme
• 2014 - Dorset Fire & Rescue Service for Safe and Independent Living

Outstanding Contribution to the Fire and Rescue Service

About the award

This blue ribbon lifetime achievement award will be presented to a leading fire or emergency figure who has made a significant, positive contribution to the emergency services arena over a sustained period of at least 30 years.

Past winners

• 2022 - Paul Sayles, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Paul Fuller, formerly Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Roger Nunn, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2018 - Lewis Ramsay
• 2017 - Noel McKee
• 2016 - Charles McGill
• 2015 - Dave Ramscar
• 2014 - Ronnie King

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Innovation of the Year

About the award

The Innovation of the Year award will be given to an individual or team that has developed innovative technology or a way of working that has made a significant difference to fire and emergency performance and delivery. The winner will demonstrate one or more of the following: improved safety measures which have led to saving lives and reducing injuries, produced significant cost savings, and improved the provision of emergency response.

Past winners

• 2022 - Zero Emission Pumping Appliance, London Fire Brigade
• 2021 - On Call Firefighters, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Fire Escape Hoods, introduced by Steve Collins, London Fire Brigade
• 2018 - UAE Civil Defence [Marine firefighting]
• 2017 - Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service Road Safety Team
• 2016 - London Fire Brigade for Electronic Premises Information Plates Information Management Department
• 2015 - Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue and East Midlands Ambulance Service for the Joint Ambulance Conveyance Project
• 2014 - Innohome for the Stove Guard System

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Training Provider of the Year

About the award

The Training Provider of the Year award will be presented to an individual, organisation or team that has delivered exceptional training for fire and emergency personnel. The winner will demonstrate transference of learning, exceptional feedback, organisational improvements directly linked to the training, and innovation and best practice.

Past winners

• 2022 - International Safety Training College, Malta
• 2021 - Joanna Foster, Fabtic
• 2019 - Learning and Development, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

• 2018 - International Business Development and Delivery Team, Fire Service College

• 2017 - UKRO Education and Development Directorate

• 2016 - West Midlands Fire Service Command Development Team – Exercise and Examination Virtual Reality (XVR) incident command simulation
• 2015 - The UKRO Trauma Teamz
• 2014 - UCLAN for Educating Fire Professionals

Project of the Year

About the award

Recognising the most effective and efficient outsourced project, the fire or emergency winner will demonstrate a clear efficiency saving and improvement of service to the public. In addition, the project will deliver sizeable cost savings, streamlined business processes, and innovation and best practice.

Past winners

• 2022 - Chester Community Fire Station
• 2021 - National Operational Guidance, Kent Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - NE Area Corrosive Substance Attack Team, London Fire Brigade
• 2018 - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
• 2017 - Primetech and West Midlands Fire Service
• 2016 - EUR – Multi Agency Exercise, London Fire Brigade
• 2015 - Greater Manchester’s Community Risk Intervention Teams
• 2014 - Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service for the Progression Pathway

Emergency Services Collaboration of the Year

About the award

The Emergency Services Collaboration of the Year award will be presented to a multi-agency team working across the blue-light services that has participated in a collaboration(s) which has made a discernible improvement to the community they serve. The winner will demonstrate innovation and ingenuity, providing best practice and best value, and showing flexible and effective working practices.

Past winners

• 2022 - Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, West Midlands Fire Service
• 2021 - Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Joint Community Safety Department, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and South Yorkshire Police
• 2018 - County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service
• 2017 - Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
• 2016 - Braunstone Blues, Leicestershire Police, Fire and EMAS
• 2015 - Hayle’s Tri-Services Office

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Team of the Year

About the award

Presented to a fire or emergency team that has made a demonstrable difference to the organisation and community they serve. The winner will demonstrate one or more of the following: reduced deaths and injuries, significant efficiencies and cost savings, and changing and improving the lives of members of the community.

Past winners

• 2022 - Diversity and Inclusion Team, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Occupational Health and Wellbeing Team, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Community Development and Safeguarding Team, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
• 2018 - South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
• 2017 - Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service Inclusive Network Group
• 2016 - Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service DRASP team
• 2015 - The London Fire Brigade Fire Cadets
• 2014 - West Midlands Fire Service for its Fire Research and Investigation Section

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Resilience & Learning from Major Incidents

About the award

The Resilience & Learning from Major Incidents award will be presented to an individual, team or fire and rescue service that has demonstrably improved resilience arrangements, including implementing systemic changes and enhancing operational procedures, over the last 12 months. The winner will show the effective use of resources, demonstrate effective response and inter-agency cooperation in a JESIP decision-making environment where profound command dilemmas exist.

Past winners

• 2022 - County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service Ops Assurance Section
• 2021 - Wildfire Response, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
• 2019 - West Midlands Training, Exercising and Learning Group
• 2018 - Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service    
• 2017 - London Resilience Group

Most Influential Ethnic Minority Individual in Fire

About the award

The winner of the Most Influential Ethnic Minority Individual in Fire award will have demonstrated a positive contribution to diversity and equality in the Fire and Rescue Service over the last 12 months.

Past winners

• 2022 - Richard Stokes, Avon Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Wayne Brown, West Midlands Fire Service
• 2019 - Yasmin Bukhari, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
• 2018 - Satbinder Nar, West Midlands Fire Service
• 2017 - Surjit Singh, London Fire Brigade
• 2016 - Preith Shergill, West Midlands Fire Service

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Most Influential Woman in Fire

About the award

Celebrating the contribution of women to the Fire and Rescue Service in the UK, entrants can nominate any woman working with or for a fire and rescue service who has made a discernible difference to fire and rescue performance in the last 12 months.

Past winners

• 2022 - Samantha Burton
• 2021 - Carmel McKinney
• 2019 - Alex Johnson
• 2018 - Diane Dunleavy 
• 2017 - Lynne Gow
• 2016 - Becci Bryant
• 2015 - Danielle Cotton

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International Best Practice

About the award

The winner will have demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, making a group or individual contribution that has advanced safety from fire, internationally.

Past winners

• 2022 - Leitrim Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority
• 2019 - University of Central Lancashire, School of Engineering Fire Team
• 2018 - Pup Upton and Dave Thurston, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
• 2017 - United Arab Emirates Civil Defence
• 2016 - Peter Cowup
• 2015 - Russ Timpson

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Unsung Hero Award

About the award

The Unsung Hero Award will be given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the fire and emergency services over the last 12 months. The winner will demonstrate a sustained and significant contribution to the community, evidencing ingenuity and determination whilst helping to improve the lives of colleagues and/or members of the public.

Past winners

• 2022 - Gill Cockburn, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Mark Jordan, London Fire Brigade
• 2019 - Candy Woods, West Midlands Fire Service
• 2018 - Dennis Wickham, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

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Youth Champion of the Year

About the award

The Youth Champion of the Year award will be given an individual or team that has excelled either on a young people’s course, demonstrating outstanding performance and positive contribution to their community, or through working on training and development for young people.

Past winners

• 2022 - Charlie Thomas, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (Young People’s Supporter)
• 2021 - Peter Owens, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (Young People’s Supporter), Paige Hanson, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (Youth Champion)
• 2019 - Nick Quinlan, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (Young People’s Supporter), Kleria Mendes, London Fire Brigade (Youth Champion)

Neurodiversity Champion of the Year

About the award

The Neurodiversity Champion of the Year award winner will be given to an individual who has excelled in helping to provide an inclusive and inspiring workplace and has demonstrated how they have made a positive difference to the organisation in developing initiatives and providing support to neurodiverse personnel.

Past winners

• NEW award for 2023!

Most Influential LGBTQ+ Individual in Fire

About the award

The winner of the Most Influential LGBTQ+ Individual in Fire award will have demonstrated a significant contribution to promoting and supporting LGBTQ+ in their service and community to make a positive impact on fire and rescue performance over the last 12 months.

Past winners

• 2022 - Matt Hill, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
• 2021 - Yannick Dubois, formerly East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
• 2019 - Pat Carberry, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service