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In this week's update:
At the first Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) People Awards colleagues, along with their family and friends, came together on Thursday 17 November to celebrate the achievements of individuals and teams across the Service.
Colleagues were presented with Long Service and Good Conduct Medals which are presented on behalf of His Majesty The King. The ceremony also honoured three recipients of the Chief Fire Officer Certificate of Appreciation. The awards also included a special set of awards, where individuals were nominated by their colleagues. The level of professionalism and dedication across the Service meant there was tough competition in every category, so congratulations to the winners, and well done to everyone who was nominated.
 Long Service and Good Conduct Medal:
Awarded to Fire and Rescue professionals for the diligence and hard work that is required to protect our communities on behalf of HM The King. Congratulations to the following colleagues for 20 years’ service:
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Andy Lee – Area Manager, Safety & Assurance
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Simon Alderson – On-call Firefighter, Kirkby Stephen
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Michael Atkinson – On-call Firefighter, Ulverston
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Steven Bullock – On-call Firefighter, Cockermouth
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Christopher Hull – On-call Firefighter, Broughton-in-Furness
Chief Fire Officer Certificate of Appreciation:
Presented to individuals and teams to recognise brave and courageous actions and those who have made a real commitment to serve their communities. Congratulations to:
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Catherine Alderson, HART Technician, for her work in supporting the Covid response in Cumbria and within the Ukrainian resettlement programme.
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Alasdair Guthrie, Watch Manager, for his commitment to putting our communities first in all aspects of his role within the Fire and Rescue Service.
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White Watch – Whitehaven, for their response at a water rescue incident where the swift intervention and actions of the crew saved an individual’s life.
Community Contribution:
This award recognises an individual or team who have made excellent contributions to their local community and truly demonstrates our value of putting our communities first.
Shortlisted nominees:
- Alasdair Guthrie
- Jason Ferguson
- Amber Watch - Ulverston
Winner: Amber Watch – Ulverston
Amber Watch have delivered multiple community safety projects locally however they have been nominated for this award, specifically for their work at Appletree School in Grange. This is a residential school for children within the care system who have been subject to horrific childhood experiences.
The crew were advised that some of the children had a complete distrust of people in uniform, so they thought it could be a great opportunity to change that outlook. Overtime, the crew have built a fantastic relationship with the school and have kept in touch through various activities such as joining in with the school sports day, delivering CPR and safety talks and the class even chose to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity. The teacher thanked Amber Watch for their dedication in supporting the school and said: “building relationships with positive role models is exactly what our children need.”
Team of the Year:
This award recognises a team who have worked together brilliantly to deliver successful outcomes for the Service and the communities we serve.
Shortlisted nominees:
- Technical Services
- Covid Vaccine Team
- White Watch - Whitehaven
Winner: Technical Services
This team have worked hard to improve the way they engage with all areas of the Service, improve systems and processes to support the organisation and most importantly, ensured that crews have the best PPE, equipment and appliances. They have done this while working from a temporary location in Kendal. This team look after each other and are dedicated to making improvements and supporting the organisation.
Outstanding Achievement:
This award recognises an individual or team who have delivered an extra special project, outcome or initiative, going above and beyond to make improvements for the Service and/or the communities we serve.
Shortlisted nominees:
Winner: Ade Kevern
Over the past few years, Ade has developed strong relationships with community groups for victims of sexual and domestic abuse, as well as mental health organisations, such as Mind Ya Marras and Women Out West, to name a few. This has given Ade an understanding of how widespread domestic abuse is in the community and how many victims cross our path on a daily basis, as well as the realisation that we could do more as a Service.
So - earlier this year, Ade was seconded into Cumbria County Council to investigate how Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service can better support victims of domestic abuse in our communities, through the work that we already do. This workstream will undoubtedly improve the lives of those in Cumbria who are most in need.
Unsung Hero:
The Unsung Hero category was open to everyone within the Service and recognises those people or teams who quietly and consistently go the extra mile as part of their day-to-day work.
Shortlisted nominees:
- Sophie Richardson
- Julie Coulthard
- Helen Oulton
- Pete Stephenson
Winner: Helen Oulton
Helen consistently goes above and beyond as a part of her daily work in North West Fire Control. Helen brings a real personal approach to the work she does with our teams in Cumbria FRS. Helen is described as “positive and professional who always brings a smile and bubbly attitude to conversations, which is infectious with others”. Helen will always call to check in with Officers when they are returning from difficult incidents to see if they are ok. North West Fire Control is full of hero's and Helen is leading the way.
Inspirational Leader:
This award recognises individuals who have demonstrated inspiring leadership at any level, regardless of grade or rank and truly demonstrates our Code of Ethics in their entirety.
Shortlisted nominees:
- Daniel Watson
- Jonathan Burgess
Winner: Daniel Watson
Dan is a Firefighter based at Carlisle and with over 13 years of operational experience, his dedication to duty and efforts are endless. Dan likes to lead by example - whether that is cleaning and maintaining equipment, to on the incident ground and in training drills. Every aspect of his career has been about professionalism in all elements of the job. Dan is described as “giving his heart and soul to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and continues to remain motivated and dedicated to his profession.”
Outstanding Contribution:
This award recognises an outstanding contribution to Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, the communities they serve and their colleagues throughout the entirety of their career to date. This was an additional award which the staff panel decided to award this individual for their work which was highlighted through many nominations submitted in different categories.
Winner: Sean Hevey
Sean was described as demonstrating everything we want in a colleague, and everything we want from someone who is here to ‘serve the people of Cumbria’.
This person leads by example and possesses the integrity and desire to ensure they deliver the best possible service at all times. Throughout their career they have served the community and are a well-known and well-respected figure, known for their vast knowledge and understanding of the fire and rescue industry and Cumbria as a whole.
25th Anniversary of our Critical Incident Debrief team:
In January, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Critical Incident Debrief (CID) team will celebrate its 25th year. That’s 25 years of helping to deliver support to staff across the Service. The vital work the team has carried out for the last 25 years, has helped support the mental health of operational teams within the Service.
As part of the celebrations of their 25-year anniversary, the team will be hosting a series of events including a reunion, training days and recruitment of new volunteers. So please get involved if this sounds like something for you! Kasey Grainger and Owen McCarney accepted the certificate on behalf of the team.
Thank you to everyone in the Service who goes to such remarkable lengths to serve and protect our communities in Cumbria.
Look out for a full update in the December issue of Status magazine. We will also share a link in next week's Weekly Update to the professional photos once received.
John Beard, Chief Fire Officer
These sessions have been arranged to provide employees who currently work for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service with more information regarding the transition of governance to the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and to provide answers to some key questions.
There are four sessions and we would encourage everyone to attend. The presentation will be the same for all sessions so there is no need to attend more than one.
The sessions are on:
Jo Richardson, Business Manager
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The theme of the biannual UK Wildfire Conference was 'The Human Factor'.
SM Martin Slack and Steve Bray, Local Resilience Forum (LRF) Officer and Chair of Cumbria Wildfire Group attended with an aim to gain useful knowledge to improve the management of the wildfire risk in Cumbria.
The UK Wildfire Conference is led by the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF) with a great deal of support from the Scottish Wildfire Forum, and the Northern Ireland and Belfast Hills Partnership.
The conference was a great opportunity for attendees to discuss a wide range of Wildfire issues, and how human activity influences the Wildfire environment which may help reduce incidents and impacts of Wildfires.
The guest speakers were drawn from all over the world, bringing a vast amount of expertise and experience to the conference:
- Dr Peter Moore (Australia – Integrated Fire Management)
- Robijn Brongersma (Spain – Pau Costa Foundation)
- Victoria Amato (Denver USA – Fire Protection Planner)
- Dr Eric Kennedy (Canada - York University)
- Christine Eriksen (Switzerland/Australia – Centre for Security Studies)
There were several guest speakers from the UK including Cumbria Wildfire Group secretary Steve Bray, who spoke about the benefits of forming a local Wildfire group.
There were numerous academics carrying out research in a variety of fields surrounding the Wildfire environment. One example is Exeter University’s Professor Belcher who is part of the team working on a new Fire Danger Rating System for the UK and part of the preparation to create this system is to test Fine Fuels (Grass, Heathers, Gorse and Bracken) from all over the UK to get a detailed understanding of the wildfire fuels. They have offered to test fuels from Cumbria providing we collect and supply the material required. The early results from the testing have shown most of England and Wales have a longer wildfire season December to August whereas Scotland has a short wildfire season January to May and currently we suspect Cumbria may be more in-line with the Scottish season but may change as Climate Change starts to impact the weather and growing patterns in the UK.
Steve Bray, Local Resilience Forum (LRF) Officer and Chair of Cumbria Wildfire Group
Martin Slack, Station Manager
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Have your say and help us to help you!
Your comments from the recent HMICFRS inspection process highlighted that communication and engagement with employees was an area for improvement. We want your views on how this can work better so you receive the right information, and in the best format to suit you.
Click here to complete the short survey.
The survey will close at midnight on Friday 02 December.
Your views matter: This survey will take just a few minutes of your time and is your opportunity to have your say. Your response can be anonymous, or if you are interested in being part of an ongoing working group to help move improvements forward, then please include your contact details at the end of the survey.
If you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact Kate or Hayleigh in the Communications Team.
Thank you in advance for taking part.
Kate Stark, Communications Business Partner
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