Fire service stars to be honoured

The countdown has begun for the first ever West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Awards.

The ceremony on Friday, May 23 will take place at The Queens Hotel, Leeds.

Eleven awards will be presented to celebrate the bravery, dedication and excellence of operational personnel, fire and rescue staff and members of the public who have supported the brigade and its aim to make West Yorkshire safer.

All shortlisted nominees will take part in the evening’s celebrations, including the four young people nominated for the brigade’s flagship award – Young Hero of the Year – which has been decided by members of the public.

The event will also raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity.

Special thanks to all companies who have sponsored the awards: DWF Solicitors, Cranegates Ltd, Ikea, ISg, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Epi-Use, Yorkshire Water, Morrison Utility Services, Water Services Limited and Xscape.

Find out more about all the shortlisted nominees below and remember to watch this space to find out who has won after our prestigious event.

Young Hero of the Year sponsored by Xscape

Members of the public can vote for the winner of this category.

Scott Bennett
Fourteen-year-old Scott, from Normanton, was on his way home from school when he noticed smoke issuing from a neighbour’s house. He entered the house and found a lady in the front room having an asthma attack brought on from inhaling smoke from a fire in the kitchen. Scott led the lady to safety and went back to save her dog Molly. He then called 999 and stayed with the lady until firefighters arrived. The woman was later quoted as saying: “If it was not for Scott, I would be dead now.”

Ellie McDonnell
Schoolgirl Ellie was visiting her dad in Leeds when a road traffic collision occurred outside the house. Ellie, who was 14 at the time, assisted a paramedic (who was returning home after a shift) by crawling into the back of the car to immobilise the lady’s head. She performed the duty diligently and without any fear or concern for her own safety for 30 minutes while paramedics stabilised the casualties and firefighters removed the vehicle’s roof. The Incident Commander who nominated Ellie, now 15, said she did a “sterling job”, which is why she deserved formal recognition.

Fahd Hussain
Fahd, 10, of Halifax has taken on the role of Seatbelt Super Hero in Calderdale in a bid to promote the importance of wearing seatbelts. The Parkinson Lane Community Primary School pupil is proud to make guest appearances at events and has taken part in photo shoots to help agencies such as Calderdale Road Safety and West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to promote the campaign.

Alieza Khan
When Alieza’s uncle, Shahbaz Bin Azram, died in a car crash last August she wrote a moving poem about how she wished he had worn a seatbelt and the importance of others wearing one to prevent them from suffering the same pain. Alieza, a pupil at Parkinson Lane Community Primary School in Halifax, stands up in front of others to read the poem and support the road safety campaign led by agencies in Calderdale.

 

Hero of the Year sponsored by Yorkshire Water Alliance

Terry Johnson and Gareth Marriner
Terry and Gareth, both of Batley, rescued two children and their mother from a house fire in Laurel Drive, Batley, in August last year. Terry climbed onto the shoulders of Gareth to rescue the children from a bedroom and Gareth entered a smoke-filled living room to carry out their unconscious mother.

Richard Barker
Richard, 27, of Stanley, Wakefield, was working on his dad’s canal boat in April last year when he saw a woman fall into the water. She was struggling to stay afloat and very close to the boat’s propellers, so he jumped into the freezing cold water and rescued her.

Tony Davison
Since the death of Tony’s son, Adrian, in a car crash near Bramhope, Leeds, in 2002, he has worked tirelessly to educate young people across West Yorkshire in road safety. Tony, 48, of Otley, has set aside his own personal grief to try and prevent more road deaths. He is a volunteer for the charity Brake and supports West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in teaching young people about the consequences of speeding, drink and drug driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Georgina Watkiss and Denise Hall
Georgina and Denise, of Windy Bank, Cleckheaton, noticed smoke coming from a neighbour’s house. While Georgina rang 999, Denise entered the smoke-filled house to find the disabled occupant sat in a chair which was smouldering. She struggled to move him due to his disability, but eventually managed to pull him outside and to safety. Both ladies cared for the man and kept him calm while the emergency services arrived. Station Manager Lee Benson, who was on duty at the time, later said: “In my opinion the actions of these two individuals on the day in question undoubtedly saved a life.”

 

Wholetime Station of the Year sponsored by Watson Wyatt

Gipton Fire Station (Leeds district)
Gipton is a busy two-pump station with 52 operational staff and led by Station Manager Eddie Ball. The station is home to the Leeds Arson Task Force, the East Leeds Young Firefighters and the station was recently applauded after the Safety Rangers scheme, which is based at Gipton, gained accreditation from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Gipton also holds the Dransfield Trophy for the most money raised by a station for The Fire Fighters Charity (formerly Firefighters National Benevolent Fund) in a year after the station raised more than £13,000.

Stanningley Fire Station (Leeds district)
Russ Hepton is Station Manager at Stanningley, which is a very busy station with two pumps, a prime mover, a foam unit, brigade hose layer and incident support unit. In addition firefighters staff the High Volume Pump, supplied by the Government, which is deployed to floods locally and nationally. Firefighters have been mobilised to floods all over the country during recent wide-area flooding, which demands real flexibility from crews and several deployments have often seen crews working around the clock for a four-day period.

Ossett Fire Station (Wakefield district)
Ossett Fire Station is situated in the heart of a busy industrial and residential area, bordering Wakefield and Dewsbury. The quality of service it provides is partly down to its strong interaction with local partners, the community and key agencies. For example, station personnel organise a bonfire every year to raise money for local and national charities. Staff are heavily involved in the Young Firefighters scheme, school talks and local galas. The station also works closely with neighbourhood police teams and the voluntary service to identify vulnerable premises, people and it is proactive in tackling arson. Steve Goddard has been temporary Station Manager at Ossett since March.

 

Retained Fire Station of the Year sponsored by EPI-USE

Normanton Fire Station (Wakefield district)
Normanton has 14 firefighters and is led by Station Manager Dave Smalley. The six most experienced crew members have a combined service of 125 years, which is an average service of 20 years. In the past four years they have received two Letters of Appreciation from Area Managers and have been cited as Best Practice Retained Duty System Station numerous times. The crew carry out regular home fire safety checks, year five safety talks to all six junior schools in the station area and are currently involved in the new safety initiative Miss Dorothy.Com. Since the decision to upgrade Normanton from a retained station to wholetime, the station has moved forward together and actively recruited four further RDS firefighters and supported those firefighters who decided to make the transition to wholetime firefighters.

Skelmanthorpe Fire Station (Kirklees district)
Station Manager Mel Holmes has led Skelmanthorpe Fire Station for two years. The station maintains a 99.8 per cent availability throughout the year and the remaining 0.2 per cent is when the appliance is having routine maintenance or staff are training. The station is very much part of the community, carrying out home fire safety checks, school talks and attending local galas. The latest safety initiative crews are involved in brings the dangers of speeding, drugs, alcohol and poor driving skills to the attention of young car owners. In 2006 the crew responded to a collapsed casualty in a public house, which warranted a Station Manager’s Commendation and station staff have raised thousands of pounds for charity with the station’s community bonfire, 24-hour ladder climb, indoor row and a sponsored run.

Meltham Fire Station (Kirklees district)
Meltham is a one-pump station with 14 firefighters, two Crew Managers and one Watch Manager. They come from a variety of backgrounds, careers and skills and have come together to form a very enthusiastic and effective unit which covers round the clock thanks to very understanding employers. The station is very much involved in the local community, with firefighters willing to help and meet members of the public, as pointed out by a member of the public who nominated the station. The current Station Manager is Paul Suchi, who has been in place since January.

Outstanding Contribution Award sponsored by DWF Solicitors
(for operational personnel)

Crew Manager Matt Chapman
Matt, of Armley, Leeds, is Crew Manager with Stanningley White Watch and has been a firefighter in West Yorkshire two years after transferring from Lincolnshire. Matt was off-duty when he saw a house on fire and bystanders believed there to be children trapped inside. He entered the property to search for the children and fortunately found nobody was inside, apart from a kitten which he rescued.

Bradford Red Watch
Firefighters on Bradford Red Watch were mobilised to a report of a car fire in East Bowling, Bradford in May last year when they were alerted to the fact the car’s owner had collapsed and stopped breathing. They started CPR and used an Automated External Defibrillator to “shock” him back to life while the ambulance crew arrived. The first aid carried out was of the highest order and credited for saving the man’s life. There are 14 members on Bradford Red Watch.

Sara Gledhill
Emergency fire control operator Sara, who works in the Mobilising and Communications Centre, took a call last April from the occupier of a blazing house, who was trapped in the bedroom with her aunty. Sara, of Horbury, Wakefield, ensured she had the correct address and mobilised firefighters, but she also remained on the phone to the caller, who was extremely distressed and coughing badly because of the smoke, re-assuring and helping her. She gave fire survival guidance to the caller, which kept the woman and her aunty safe, and continued talking to her until fire crews arrived. Her prompt actions undoubtedly saved the lives of the two women.

WYFRS Employee of the Year sponsored by IKEA Leeds

Mohammed Ali –Team Leader of Bradford Community Fire Safety
Fire Safety Inspector Mohammed, of Heaton, Bradford, has worked for WYFRS since August 2003 and has been credited for bringing together the community fire safety team in Bradford and making them a productive, forward-thinking team. He has been influential in dealing with many issues in Bradford and, due to his dedication to reducing fire deaths and accidents in the area, he has an ability to bring the community together and push forward safety initiatives.

Martin Hoole – Youth Training Co-ordinator
Martin, of Ackworth, Wakefield, has more than 20 years’ experience with WYFRS and his role involves driving youth engagement in the fire and rescue service. He is most credited for his tireless work in developing and promoting the Young Firefighters scheme across West Yorkshire and it has been said that the scheme would not exist if it were not for his commitment and enthusiasm.

Christine Ellis – Cook, Pontefract Fire Station
Christine has been the cook at Pontefract for 18 years and extremely popular because she always goes above and beyond what would be expected in her role. Before she goes on leave she prepares, cooks and freezes meals for each shift for the period she is off, which is a measure of her loyal service and contribution she makes.

Shirley Wharton – Station Clerk, Brighouse and Elland Fire Station
On January 21 this year, 60 children and 10 staff from Elland’s Waterside Children’s Day Nursery were evacuated to Brighouse Fire Station due to flooding. Shirley, of Hipperholme, Halifax, took charge of the station and organised and managed the 70 people, making sure everyone was comfortable and provided with refreshments. She also had to take constant calls from distressed parents, worried members of the public and the media. Shirley, who only joined WYFRS in November last year, stayed calm and collected throughout and she stayed until 7pm, when the last child had left, showing a professional attitude and compassion throughout.

Charitable Achievement of the Year sponsored by Cranegates Ltd

Watch Manager Dominic Furby
Dominic, of Halifax, was the driving force behind the brigade’s three Red Hot Dates calendars, which originated from when he was with Bradford Red Watch. He gave up a great deal of his own time to make the calendars a success and helped raise more than £64,000, which went to various charities including the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, The Fire Fighters Charity and the children’s wards in Huddersfield and Calderdale. He has 14 years’ service and is currently working in the community safety department at headquarters.

FF (Con) Alison Wainwright
Emergency control operator Alison, from Birstall, was the key organiser of the Trudy Ramsden Winter Snow Ball in February 2008, which raised more than £13,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research and The Fire Fighters Charity. The event was planned in memory of emergency control operator Trudy Ramsden, who tragically died of a brain tumour in 2006. Alison, with the support of White Watch in the Mobilising and Communications Centre, made the night the success it was. She was also a key player in a race evening organised last summer, which raised £3,000 for the same funds.

Odsal Blue Watch
Following the sudden tragic death of Trudy Ramsden, Odsal Blue Watch decided to start a fund-raising campaign in her memory, which started with a charity bike ride around all 48 stations in West Yorkshire. Watch Manager Richard Hall played a key role and the bike ride raised around £7,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Research and The Fire Fighters Charity. It is hoped The Trudy Ramsden Memorial Bike Ride will be an annual event, with the challenge of beating Blue Watch’s time thrown open to the rest of the brigade.

Crew Manager Stuart Wilson and Crew Manager Dianne Goulthorp
Both Stuart and Dianne, of Robin Hood, Wakefield, have worked selflessly for The Fire Fighters Charity for many years, organising the Flaming Charity Variety Show each year, which has raised more than £75,000, not to mention the many raffle prizes and logistics associated with such a big event.
Stuart, a firefighter at Gipton Fire Station, also co-ordinates fundraising activities at station level for The Fire Fighters Charity and one of the biggest successes has been organising the Yellow Helmet Days. He has been involved in creating West Yorkshire’s very own little Freddy the Fire Engine and helped raise £9,000 for its construction. He has even given up his own time to drive the vehicle around.
Dianne is a Crew Manager in the Mobilising and Communications Centre.

 

Fire Safety Award sponsored by EPI-USE

Young Firefighter Scheme
The scheme originates from Wakefield Fire Station and has made such rapid and successful progress that there are now around 360 students from 34 schools across West Yorkshire involved in the scheme. The two-year course, which starts in year 10, involves practical lessons in fire service skills, fire safety and students also learn life skills. Students work towards a BTEC Level Two qualification in Basic Firefighting. One of the major benefits identified as a result of the scheme has been the change in response to firefighters, mainly in the antagonism shown to crews. It has been so successful in engaging with young people in a positive manner that crews have seen a real change in attitude and behaviour of young people and their families towards the fire and rescue service.

Robert Dean – Fire Safety Inspector
Mr Dean, of Sowerby Bridge, has worked for WYFRS for 33 years and currently works for the Enforcement Team in Calderdale. His job also involves checking plans for new and altered buildings, which means working closely with enforcing bodies of building regulations and architects. He was nominated because of his positive attitude, the fact he embraces new legislation and innovative ways of working. He takes the role of mentor to trainees without being asked and his constant high quality and quantity of work has led to a reduction in risk across West Yorkshire.

Leeds Arson Task Force
The task force started in April 2004 and is made up of Manager Richard Brabbs, Rachael Bowen, Stephen Watkins, Sharon Bixley, Peter Huby, Bryce Sweeney and PC Kevin Maltby, a police officer seconded to the team. Deliberate fires account for around 80 per cent of the total fires attended by WYFRS, so the main role of the team is the reduction of deliberate fires in the Leeds district. The team has forged valuable links with other key agencies to target those responsible for deliberate fires, with organisations that assist in the removal of rubbish and waste materials which provide fuel for arsonists, and it has put a great deal of energy into education, developing the 105 Alpha car – a burn-out car which has been adapted to highlight the dangers of burning vehicles.

 

Management and Leadership Award sponsored by ISG Regions Limited

Area Manager Paul Cummins
Senior Training and Development Officer Paul Cummins, of Leeds, has worked for WYFRS 24 years. Paul’s main role is to ensure the brigade has the skills needed to provide the best possible service to the public. He was nominated for being an inspirational leader and for his ability to make individuals and teams feel they are valuable and appreciated. Paul said his nomination for the award was a tribute to the “fantastic team” in training and that it gives him an opportunity to highlight their achievements over the past few years.

Group Manager Mick Smith
GM Mick Smith, of Idle, is based in legislative fire safety enforcement and has worked for WYFRS for 24 years. His main role is the command of fire and other emergency incidents and the support of the five district fire safety offices to ensure places of work comply with fire safety and law. He was nominated because of his good working relationship with all staff, his inspirational leadership and because he is the driving force behind the new fire safety legislation. He was also nominated because it has achieved so much in just 12 months since he joined fire safety.

Watch Manager Jeremy James Pilling
Ossett White Watch Manager Jeremy Pilling, of Horbury, has worked for WYFRS for 25 years and was nominated because of his role-model qualities, consistently high performance and “can do” attitude. As Watch Manager he oversees the watch’s ability to perform in a variety of areas, such as operational capability, community fire safety, training, welfare and administrative work. He also supports the Station Manager in the general performance of the station.

 

Young Firefighter of the Year sponsored by EPI-USE

Ashleigh Carter
Fifteen-year-old Ashleigh goes to Wakefield City High School and is in the second year of the Young Firefighters course at Wakefield Fire Station. She is a very keen pupil and determined to do well in her GCSEs, even though a great deal of her time is taken up caring for her mother. Despite having this huge responsibility, she has very rarely missed school or the Young Firefighters course, which she enjoys and takes part in with enthusiasm.

Alice Tunicliffe
Alice, 16, is a pupil at Ossett School and was nominated for this award due to her dedication, fantastic attitude and attendance. She started the course as a shy pupil, but the course has boosted her confidence a great deal and she has excelled in all aspects. She attends the course at Ossett Fire Station.

Ben Barrass
Ossett School pupil Ben, 16, has an excellent attitude and attendance at school and on the course. He has grown into an inspirational team leader, having put a great deal of effort in, and is one of the most popular team leaders on the course. Ben attends the course at Ossett Fire Station.