A viral safety campaign, raising the bar for diversity, and a huge charity drive scooped a plethora of awards at this year’s Celebrating Success.
The 14th annual event was held at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Eastleigh yesterday (21/11/19).
It was hosted by Heart Radio breakfast presenter Zoe Hanson, with HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire Nigel Atkinson as the special guest.
The Innovation of the Year Award was won by Katie Round from Community Safety for the Amber’s Warning campaign which ran at the beginning on 2019.
Dalvinder Rai collected the Partnership of the Year Award for the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA), which she became chairman of in June.
This year’s Chief’s Team of the Year was awarded to Tadley Fire Station for their ongoing fundraising achievements.
Watch Manager Sally Gould and other Tadley crew members proudly accepted the award.
Earlier in the year, the Community Safety and Media and Communications Teams produced Amber’s Warning; a campaign – led by Katie Round – aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of unsupervised cooking.
With the short film being shared across social media, Amber’s story was told with the intention that others will think twice before leaving cooking unattended.
It was viewed more than 120,000 times. One post reached 12,000 engagements alone and was shared a further 300 times.
The campaign has also been shared by social media experts and numerous other fire and rescue services across the country.
AFSA, which took home the Partnership of the Year Award, promotes inclusion and diversity across services for all races and genders, and discusses topics surrounding mental illness and disability.
Hampshire was the venue for the AFSA Spring Conference in June, with HFRS co-hosting the event.
The Spring Conference sold the most tickets in its eleven-year history and was attended by emergency service personnel countrywide, being hailed the best AFSA event ever.
Football legend John Barnes and music icon Craig David both made an appearance at the Spring Conference.
Sessions covered subjects such as humanitarian response, gypsy and traveller perceptions, minority recruitment, and mental health.
Other speakers included West Sussex Chief Fire Officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton who spoke about her journey from being homeless to becoming a leading light in the fire community, and television presenter Veronica Gordon on being a black woman in the media.
The event was particularly special for Hampshire as it saw our own Dalvinder Rai become the chairman. Dal lead the way in the successful organisation of this memorable event.
Tadley Fire Station, who were awarded the Chief’s Team of the Year Award, were hailed as an example of how positive teamwork and leadership can make a difference.
They contributed to The Fire Fighters Charity through events like a sponsored stretcher carry, car washes, the Three Peaks Challenge, and supporting ‘One Lads Challenge’ cycle rides.
Every year they host a Christmas dinner for older people, serving more than 100 meals to those who would typically remain isolated over the festive period.
The firefighters promoted the events on social media and had their messages shared by comedian John Bishop, television presenter Nick Knowles, and reality star Scotty T.
Further awards presented at last night’s Celebrating Success was the Sports and Social Association Award won by Matthew Rowe, the North Group Chair, for his efforts in promoting membership of the association in the north of the county.
The Supporting Organisation of the Year Award went to the Rapid Relief Team for providing free, voluntary welfare support to HFRS staff.
The Charity Award was given to the team behind the Round the Island Kayak Event, an annual event which has raised £30,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity and the RNLI since 2012.
The Volunteer of the Year award went to Kayleigh Monckton and Sean Gray for their time and effort to ensure TRiM continues to run effectively and successfully for supporting staff during difficult times.
Sarah Jordan won the 2019 Individual of the Year Award for her work within the Property and Facilities Team.
The Chairman’s Award was awarded to Havant Fire Station for their commitment throughout the year to making their new crewing model a success.
The Fire Fighters Charity Award was awarded to the HFRS Lottery Team; Sanchia Andrews, Angela Ali, and Theresa Lovett for their monthly scheme which has raised around £30,000 for The Fire Fighters Charity during the past ten years.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority (HFRA) chairman Chris Carter said: “It is always an honour to attend this event and celebrate the astonishing achievements of the Service.
“I am amazed and humbled by the inspiring stories behind these awards.
“There has been a bumper crop of nominations this year reflecting the dedication of our teams to make life safer, often in the most challenging circumstances.”
Chief Fire Officer Neil Odin said: “Celebrating Success gives us all the chance to look back on the fantastic work of our staff.
“I think it is vital to recognise and celebrate our achievements, as well as commemorating the innovations and advancements of working that make HFRS one of the most esteemed fire and rescue services in the UK.”
Full list of long service medal winners
20-year long service • Assistant Chief Officer Stewart Adamson• Station Manager Gina Gray• Crew Manager Neil Haggard• Station Manager Karl Manners• Crew Manager Robert Paul• Firefighter Karen Ranger• Crew Manager Charlie Turnbull• Watch Manager Rob Voller• Watch Manager Anthony Westbrook• Procurement and Finance Analyst Chantelle Archer• Technical Services Officer Dean Cole• ICT Business Operations Manager Danny Masters
25-year long service • Station Manager Jill Horn• Crew Manager Sharon Riley• Firefighter Rosemary Veck
30-year long service • Watch Manager Andrew Earl• Area Manager Kevin Evernett• Station Manager Dave Graham• Station Manager Paul Parry• Firefighter Alan Patrick• Assistant Fire Investigation Sean White
35-year long service • Firefighter David Holloway• Firefighter Kevin O’Connell
45-year long service • Firefighter Brian Cole• Group Manager Jerry Leonard
