Firefighters, backroom staff and members of the public have been recognised for their commitment to public safety at Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service’s second annual awards ceremony.
Funded by Nuclear Management Partners (the consortium of Washington Division, URS, AMEC and AREVA which is bidding for the Sellafield management contract), the Together Towards Success Awards paid tribute to people who have gone the extra mile to help keep Cumbrians safe.
The winners were announced at an Oscar-style ceremony at Penrith’s North Lakes Hotel, on Friday 9 May 2008. High-resolution pictures of the winners receiving their awards are available on request.
Councillor Gary Strong, cabinet member responsible for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said: These awards pay tribute to all those who hard to make Cumbria a safer place."
Cumbria’s Chief Fire Officer Dominic Harrison, said: "This was a great opportunity to recognise the outstanding contributions which personnel and members of the public have made to the work of the Fire and Rescue Service."
Iain Irving, West Cumbria Director of Operations for Nuclear Management Partners, said: "Nuclear Management Partners is proud to sponsor these awards for the second year running and, in doing so, honouring the work of Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service."
Dozens of nominations were received for the twelve Together Towards Success Award categories. The winners were:
Award for Community Leadership
Callum Graham, Justine Liddell and Gary Wilson, Kendal for their dedication, commitment, enthusiasm, imagination and proactive efforts in the South Lakes Area. The Fire and Rescue Service team have developed their own slogan ‘No Battery, No Warning, No Chance’ to hammer home the dangers of not having a smoke alarm.
Award for Pillar of the Community
David Moore, Seascale for his work in the community. David has worked for Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service for 37-years during which time he has never been absent with sickness. He also acts as a parish and borough councillor, a school governor and is involved in various community projects.
Award for Backroom Brilliance
Fire Control, Cockermouth for their consistent support to operational delivery. Improvements have been made in obtaining caller locations, questioning callers to prevent unnecessary mobilising of fire crews, managing new telephony and spate conditions simultaneously and responding to national emergencies.
Award for Volunteer of the Year
Lynette Francis, North Cumbria for her courage and strength in talking about her families experiences following the tragic loss of her son Mark in a road accident. Lynette has campaigned tirelessly and for the last two years and has assisted the service in delivering Road Awareness Training. The power of her presentations has had a significant effect on many people and can only be described as a vital tool in assisting in reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
Award for Service with a Smile
Peter Higgins, Barrow for his unique and outstanding support of Fire and Rescue Service colleagues. Peter always has a smile on his face and is willing to help others both publicly and privately. Peter has been an unofficial mentor to a generation of firefighters even though his role is demanding he always finds time to listen when people knock on his door.
The Green Award
Patsy Twomey, Barrow for her commitment to ensuring that the fire and Rescue Service office adheres to green policies, leading the way long before it was fashionable to do so and seeking to convert others whenever the opportunity arose.
Award for an Effective/ Imaginative Partnership
Green Watch/Retained Crew, Workington, Derwent Housing Association, Children’s Services, Allerdale for a specific incident involving a family who lost their home and entire belongings in a house fire. Utilising the multi-faceted skills that Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service now has and co-ordinating the resources of the agencies to help the family get back on their feet.
Award for Best Innovative Idea
Anthony Rooney and White Watch, Carlisle for the ‘Road Awareness Training with Fries’ initiative which incorporated training being undertaken at Burger king –a popular hang-out for young drivers. On average, Cumbrian fire fighters rescue ten times as many people from road accidents as they do from property fires. This innovative scheme aims to reduce accidents on the county’s roads through targeting this specific group.
The Colleagues Award
Jen Petcher, Barrow for her work as the Community Safety Coordinator in the Barrow area. She has been a catalyst for many events and projects and spends much of her personal time researching various new initiatives.
Award for Operational Excellence
Regular and Retained Crews, Kendal and Retained Crew, Milnthorpe for their attendance at the Grayrigg Incident. On the night of the 23 February 2007 Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service was faced with one of its most challenging incidents in recent years when the London to Glasgow Virgin express train derailed near Grayrigg in south Cumbria. The conditions were arduous, weather poor, and lighting virtually nil. Despite these factors there is no doubt that the actions of the crews played a significant part in the success of the rescue operations.
Award for Lifelong Learning
Mike Smith, Carlisle for his commitment to personal development. Mike is the first employee of Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service to receive a scholarship with Henley Management College to undertake and MBA.
Award for Equality and Diversity
Craig Drinkald and Tony Patterson, Carlisle for their outstanding work with children and young people. As Carlisle firefighters, Craig and Tony have clearly demonstrated positive outcomes for young people, working specifically with hard to reach groups who are at risk of offending and becoming excluded from school. Their work provides young people with a focus, along with personal and social responsibility addressing anti-social behaviour, road safety, bullying and greener, cleaner safer issues.
ENDS
Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.
Media enquiries to Mark Graham, Media Officer on 01228 226337.
Notes
High-resolution pictures of the winners receiving their awards are available on request by calling Mark Graham on 01228-226337.