Cheshire Fire honoured twice in Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards

Cheshire’s Fire and Rescue Service has scooped two national awards in the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards (EFE) this year.

The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of the fire and emergency services. Chief Fire Officers, their teams, industry supporters, suppliers and front-line firefighters come together to celebrate the work of fire and rescue services, teams and individuals who have really made a difference.

Volunteer Cadet Staff Charlie Thomas attended the awards in London in December and won the Young People’s Supporter of the Year Award for his work with Cheshire Fire Cadets.

Charlie is a Cadet Unit Coordinator at Chester and a Cadet Leader with Runcorn Fire Cadet Unit. He regularly represents the Service in his spare time, locally and nationally, at formal events such as Remembrance Day, Pride Parades and Station Open Days. He supported the re-opening of the organisations cadet unit’s post-pandemic and provides an insight into working within a uniformed service to 12 - 17-year-olds from varied and diverse backgrounds, giving them an exciting and unique opportunity at weekly activities to develop personal and social skills by promoting self-discipline, teamwork, and citizenship.

He is also currently fundraising for an international apprentice’s expedition to Nepal whereby he and his peers will help a UK-based charity called Classrooms in the Clouds build a new school for disadvantaged Nepalese children.

Fire Cadet Manager Jason McTigue said: “I’m really pleased that all the hard work Charlie has put into the cadet units has been recognised nationally. He started as a cadet at Chester Fire Station and has worked his way through the ranks, completing training to achieve the role of Cadet Unit Coordinator. He has assisted over 60 young people so far, often spending extra time on the drill ground or in the classroom to aid their development and help them to reach their full potential. He is also a Firefighter and Community Safety Apprentice with the organisation, so he is a great ambassador for the organisation.”

The second award went to Chester Fire Station for Project of the Year, which recognises the most effective and efficient outsourced project, the fire or emergency winner must demonstrate a clear efficiency saving and improvement of service to the public.

The station was officially reopened in August 2021 for a total self-funded cost of £5.8m, with 73% of the project spend being kept within Cheshire. The project was outsourced to construction specialist ISG Ltd and is a state-of-the-art four bay fire station, believed to be the country’s first zero carbon fire station for regulated energy.

The station houses two full-time crews, three appliances, and a specialist rapid water response unit. The new facility delivers a better working environment for staff and enhanced facilities for community engagement.

Chair of Cheshire Fire Authority Councillor Bob Rudd said: “We couldn’t be prouder to receive this award for Project of the Year. In 2019, Cheshire Fire Authority unveiled a bold ambition to build carbon-neutral fire stations in Cheshire. Therefore, sustainability and carbon reduction were placed at the heart of Chester’s design.

“Chester Fire Station has Photovoltaic Solar Panels fitted on the roof, which not only power the station but generate surplus, which enables the Service to generate return on the investment through the sale of renewable energy to the national grid. There are electric charging points, supporting the Fire Authority’s aspiration that all non-blue light response vehicles will be electric by 2025, and biodiversity improvements on a constrained city centre site were achieved by including a wildflower garden and birdboxes on the site, which also uses natural ventilation rather than air-conditioning and has high-efficiency LED lighting.

“I’d also like to congratulate Charlie on his award. Without volunteers like him we wouldn’t be able to run our weekly Cheshire Fire Cadet drill nights and give so many young people opportunities to learn firefighting skills, gain recognised qualifications and make new friends.”

The awards ceremony was held at One Great George Street, London on December 9^th and presented by Fire Magazine.