Staff, partners and sponsors came together for the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service Community Awards at The Country Park Inn on Hessle foreshore on Friday 17 November.
Appropriately nine awards were handed out at the ninth annual awards with partners and projects, teams and team mates recognised over the glitzy evening. [Pictured are three of the winners: Martyn Shields, Sarah Wilkinson and Jamie Morris, EDC Manager]
Host for the evening was KCFM radio presenter Darren Lethem who called Tesco forward first to receive the On Call Employer of the Year Award. Tesco actively supports its staff to become retained (on-call) firefighters which keeps crewing levels at healthy numbers in some of the Service's more rural stations.
Guest speaker was Jayne Fisher, Team Leader for the Yorkshire Organ Donation Team. She explained that three people every day will die whilst they wait for a transplant. She thanked the Service for agreeing to wrap one of their Hull fire engines in purple and pink to promote the #YesIDonate message across the city. The initiative has proved a massive success. Since its launch in the summer, organ donation in Hull has gone up by 38%. Find out more at www.organdonation.nhs.uk
Nominees and *winners of all the awards are listed below:
On call Employer of The Year
*Tesco
Partner Project of the Year - sponsored by HFR Solutions
Multi Agency Arson Group - North East Lincolnshire
Andy Train - Hull and East Riding LGBT Forum
*Tony Burman - Grimsby Community Pride Team
Partnership of the Year Award - sponsored by ABP
*Howdens Joinery
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Prison Me No Way
Team of the Year Award - sponsored by Bristol Uniforms
Coroprate Planning
*Education and Development Centre
Driver Training
Innovation Award - sponsored by BAE Systems
*Martyn Shields
*Glen Matsell and Lynden Young
Dee Sharpe, Dave Collingwood, Daren Johhnson, Mandi Hyde, Marion Collins [pictured]
Fire Station / Watch of the Year - sponsored by Scania
*Control
Green and White Watch Scunthorpe
Peaks Lane
Team Mate of the Year Award - sponsored by PBI Performance Products
*Sarah Wilkinson [pictured with CFO Chris Blacksell]
Kevin Freer
Dave Wood
The evening concluded with two special awards. Terry Mitchell took the Local Hero Award, the only prize of the night voted for by the public. Terry raises vital funds for local forces veterans whilst working as a PCSO for his local community.
The final act of the night was the announcement of the Chief's Award winner, always a closely guarded secret. Chief Fire Officer Chris Blacksell had kept the winner under wraps and explained to the hushed audience that the winner had welcomed the world to Hull this summer and put on the largest event of its kind on the planet.
The 2017 United Kingdom Rescue Organisation Challenge (UKRO) was held in September at the KCOM stadium and alongside Princes Quay Shopping Centre in the dock. Teams from fire and rescue services from around the UK and some from abroad took part in a series of challenges to test extrication skills in RTCs, rope rescue, water rescue and emergency trauma care.
Staff present soon realised that the deserved winner was Louise Marritt [pictured] who had led the project since Hampshire handed over the baton to Humberside after the 2016 event. All those who took part had been impressed by the excellent organisation, the attention to detail and warm welcome. Louise will now assist South Wales by handing over an in-depth report to the 2018 hosts as they begin their preparations for next year's event.
Local Hero - sponsored by Howdens Joinery
*Terry Mitchell
Paul and Corey Wilson
Chief's Award - sponsored by FireAngel
*Louise Marritt