Chief Fire Officer Jon Pryce has expressed his pride in HWFRS as he presented awards at the Worcestershire section of the annual Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Medal and Awards Ceremony at Worcester Guildhall.
“We are so fortunate to have so many dedicated staff,” he said. “I would like to say how proud I am to be here as Chief Fire Officer tonight and I am really pleased that as an organization we can celebrate all of their achievements.”
The medals and awards were presented by Fire Authority chairman Councillor Kit Taylor, the Vice Lord Lieutenant Brigadier Roger Brunt, and the High Sheriff Richard Amphlett. Group Commander Phill Sanders was the Master of Ceremonies.
The event was attended by the recipients, their friends and families, the Mayor Worcester Councillor Stephen Hodgson, the deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Tracy Onslow and fire officers from HWFRS.
The Awards and Medals
The Fire Brigade’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
The honour is awarded by Her Majesty the Queen to those who have rendered 20 years’ meritorious service as members of the Fire Brigades of the United Kingdom. The award indicates the high esteem in which the recipient is held and expresses the gratitude of both the Fire and rescue Service and public for their honourable duty.
Nine recipients received the medal from the Vice Lord Lieutenant and CFO Pryce:
- Watch Commander Ian Bowkett (Tenbury)
- Firefighter James Burman (Worcester)
- Crew Commander James Clarke (Wyre Foret)
- FF Andrew Lune (Redditch)
- CC Jonathan Pearson (Tenbury)
- WC James Perks (Droitwich)
- WC Lee Smith (Bromsgrove)
- FF Lucy Ward (Redditch)
- Former Group Commander Grant Wills
Thirty Years’ Service Award
Presented to fire service staff who have completed 30 years’ meritorious service as members of the UK fire and rescue service.
The awards were presented by the chairman of the Fire Authority and the Chief Fire Officer to:
- Crew Commander Philip Ball (Droitwich) – retired
- FF Andrew Meacham (Bromsgrove)
- Chris Orgee (Fleet)
Forty Years’ Service Award
Presented to fire service staff who have completed 40 years’ meritorious service as members of the UK fire and rescue service.
The awards were presented by the chairman of the Fire Authority and the Chief Fire Officer to:
- USAR technician Kevin Harris
High Sheriff’s Award
Presented to the top Young Firefighter from HWFRS. The award is nominated annually by the leader of the Young Firefighters Association.
This year the award was presented to:
- Daniel Birch
- Joshua Jackson
The Silver Axe for the Top Recruits of the Year
The top wholetime firefighter recruit of the year for 2020-21 was FF Lisa Campbell of Bromsgrove and the top on-call firefighter recruit of the year for 2020-21, FF Martin Bryant of Evesham.
In announcing the awards, which were presented by CFO Pryce, GC Sanders said: “Both Lisa and Martin have demonstrated excellent attitudes during their training.”
Chairman’s Certificate of Commendation
Awarded by the Chairman of the Fire and Rescue Authority to members of the Service and members of the public for actions away from the operational arena.
This year the certificates were awarded to:
- Jill Broomfield, Jevan Moss and Chris Salisbury
- Anil Patel
Jill, Jevan and Chris, along with another colleague, Dawn Pound, worked hard to ensure that, during the pandemic, Fire Authority meetings could be live-streamed to the public.
Anil assisted and rendered first aid to a man in his 70s who had suffered a nasty head injury in a fall in Worcester city centre. He was calm, personable and reassuring in assisting with casualty management until the arrival of paramedics.
Chief Fire Officer’s Letter of Appreciation
Awarded by the CFO to members of the Service and members of the public for acts of courage or bravery, rendering general humanitarian aid, making a significant contribution to the delivery of a project, work area or specific activity, performing to a high standard under difficult circumstances or performing above and beyond normal expectations.
This year the letters were awarded:
- Ellie Misselbrook
- Operational Policy Team – Charlotte Crumpton, WC Michelle Hicks, WC Lee Rudge, Nicola Ruff, WC Dan Willey
- FF Craig Hanrahan, FF Lucy Ward, SC Richard Young
Ellie has worked to a consistently high standard under difficult circumstances throughout two major incident – the flooding of 2019-20 and the pandemic – with the first of these arising just nine months into her arriving in post for his first professional appointment.
Ellie was also part of the Operational Policy team who demonstrated commitment and dedication under difficult and challenging circumstances during the large scale flooding in early 2020 and then the pandemic.
Lucy, Craig and Richard showed generosity and compassion well beyond what would normally be expected of them in supporting a colleague who was shielding during the pandemic due to an underlying medical condition.