Firefighters from Ely, Wisbech, Whittlesey and March were awarded for their innovation, leadership and exemplary service at the annual Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) Excellence Awards.
The annual event, which took place at the Huntingdon Marriott Hotel on January 18, celebrated the achievements of staff from across different areas of the service.
It awarded the commitment, dedication and professionalism of staff who regularly go above and beyond to provide the best possible service to the people of Cambridgeshire.
Hosting the event was chief fire officer Chris Strickland together with assistant chief fire officer Rick Hylton and head of media and communication Hayley Douglas, who presented the following awards:
Long Service and Good Conduct medals - presented under a Royal Warrant for members of the uniformed service after completing 20 years of long and meritorious service to the fire and rescue service and the public. These were presented by Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Colonel Colin Elsden DL.
Chairman’s Awards - an award made to retired staff that have completed at least 25 years’ service with CFRS. Presented by Chairman of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, Kevin Reynolds.
Certificate of Commendation - a formal recognition to both members of staff and external stakeholders.
Excellence Awards - these awards reflect a variety of different achievements that were nominated by staff in the Service and chosen by a judging panel.
The event was paid for by TruckEast and Scania, Emergency One and Clan Tools, Holmatro, Panasonic Toughbook, Interspiro, Bristol Uniforms, Hunter Apparel and Supply Plus.
The evening ended with a raffle of prizes donated by sponsors.
The awards and recipients are:
Long Service and Good Conduct medal recipients
Awarded after completing 20 years’ long and meritorious service to the fire and rescue service and the public.
Shaun Bailes Firefighter, Wisbech
Vicky Best Station Commander, St Neots
Gareth Boyd Watch Commander, Huntingdon
Jenni Boyd Watch Commander, Combined Fire Control
Martin Dunn Firefighter, March
Pete Faulder Crew Commander, Dogsthorpe
Martin Harriss Firefighter, Whittlesey
Rick Hylton Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Service HQ
Per Middleton Group Commander, Service HQ
Wayne Pringle Watch Commander, Ely
Stocker Standen Watch Commander, Huntingdon
Chairman’s Award
Presented to retired personnel who have completed at least 25 years’ service.
Gary Pownall Crew Commander, St Ives
Geoff Quince Station Commander, Community Fire Safety, Service HQ
Excellence Awards
Fundraiser of the Year Award - an individual, team or event that has raised a significant amount of money or generated support for a charity or other good cause.
Peter Bromley (Combined Fire Control)
Peter was inspired to raise money for both The Fire Fighters Charity and the Royal British Legion by having special poppy badges made. The Services crest was combined with the standard poppy emblem to make a badge that staff could wear with pride in the lead up to Remembrance Day. This raised #1,000 for the Royal British Legion and #500 for The Fire Fighters Charity.
Community Champion of the Year Award
Andrew Doherty (Cambridge)
Andrew has shown great passion for the work he does as a community champion and is very active in his community. He delivers important home fire safety messages to some of the most vulnerable residents in the community when they need it most.
On-call Employer of the Year Award - sponsored by TruckEast and Scania. An employer that has demonstrated excellent support to the on-call duty system.
Pinewood Structures (Gamlingay)
Pinewood Structures has been supporting Gamlingay Fire Station for more than 30 years, releasing staff to respond to incidents during working hours.
Partnership Achievement Award - an achievement, initiative or event that has brought benefits to the Service or public through excellent partnership working.
Ross Turner (Cambridge)
Ross exceeded expectations after being tasked with producing a catalogue of the Services equipment. This went onto form part of a multi-agency document showing the equipment available for police and ambulance colleagues, allowing partners to potentially share resources and avoid duplication.
On-call Recruit of the Year
Paul Hudson (Ely)
Paul displayed exceptional skills right from the beginning of the training course. He performed outstandingly in all areas and passed his assessments first time, helping and encouraging others along the way. Throughout his training he was a key team player, always smiling and working hard.
Award for Innovation and Improvement - an innovative idea or value for money concept carried through from planning to implementation, making a significant impact on the Service.
Dan Foord (Sawston)
Dan came up with an innovative way to try and promote Sawston Fire Station recruiting on-call firefighters. He brought the station together to film a video to use on the Services social media channels. Dan not only filmed but also edited the video together, in his own time. It proved to be very popular, receiving more than 150,000 views and, more importantly, resulted in more on-call interest. The video is available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cambsfrs/videos/10155357444884171/).
Leadership Achievement Award - an individual who has shown outstanding leadership.
Wayne Pringle (Ely)
Waynes leadership of the on-call crew at Ely Fire Station has been truly exceptional. His dedication to recruiting more staff to support both fire engines at the station has showed significant improvements in their availability. Not only this, but Wayne has ensured the newly recruited staff have been supported through their initial probation periods, while also helping surrounding stations with their staff by hosting several on-call support sessions.
Operational Excellence Award - a demonstration of excellence by an individual or team during an incident.
Paul Gascoigne (Combined Fire Control)
Paul excellent call handling during a house fire in Suffolk helped ensure a family escaped unharmed. Paul spent more than 16 minutes with the caller, who was in the house with her two children, encouraging her to stay in the upstairs bedroom until help arrived. The family was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but did not sustain any other injuries.
Team Achievement Award - an outstanding team achievement or a team that has consistently performed above expectations.
Equipment team - Russell Evans and George Kidd (Peterborough)
Being a team of two, Russell and George have a tough task at the best of times ensuring the Services operational equipment is maintained to a high standard. This past year has presented a significant challenge with the introduction of the new asset database, requiring almost a full time position to support the implementation. George not only took to this task extremely well, but Russell ensured the day-to-day management of equipment maintenance was delivered to its usual high standards.
Certificate of Commendation - a stakeholder that has demonstrated excellent support to the Service.
Michele Carter (Peterborough)
Michele has provided outstanding support for The Fire Fighters Charity for many years. Since joining the Service in 1978 she has organised fitness classes at both Dogsthorpe and Stanground fire stations, with the money raised being donated to the charity. Although Michele left the Service in 2013, she continues to host these classes, which have raised more than #17,500.
Papworth Hospital
Papworth Hospital not only releases staff during working hours to help maintain fire engine availability in the village, but also supports crews by providing venues for training exercises.
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