We are celebrating the success, dedication and bravery of our staff and members of the public again this year by holding the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Awards 2009.

This year’s sparkling awards ceremony will be held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford on Friday, 2 October, and money raised will go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity and the Fire Fighters’ Charity.

Read details of the eight different categories below and click on the link to submit your nomination. Remember – you can nominate as many different people as you wish, just make sure you give as much detail as possible about what they have done which makes them stand out from the crowd and why they deserve the award.

The deadline for nominations is Sunday, 7 June 2009.

Please nominate for the following categories:

Outstanding Contribution – for operational staff who work for WYFRS
This award is for firefighters and emergency control room operators who have carried out acts of heroism, courage or shown outstanding professionalism. It could include the rescue of people from a dangerous situation or a selfless act of courage with has helped prevent serious harm to people, the environment or buildings.

Outstanding Contribution – for non-operational staff who work for WYFRS
This is for staff in a non-operational role who have either shown great loyalty by consistently making an outstanding contribution to the running of the organisation or have made a single significant contribution which goes over and above what would usually be expected.

Wholetime Fire Station of the Year

For wholetime stations which have shown real commitment to their local community, either by developing strong partnerships, carrying out safety campaigns or consistently going above and beyond the call of duty.

Retained Fire Station of the Year

For retained stations which have shown real commitment to their local community, either by developing strong partnerships, carrying out safety campaigns or consistently going above and beyond the call of duty.

Charity Fundraiser of the Year
This is for an individual or group who work for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service who have made an exceptional contribution to charity through their fundraising activities. This could be a single event or a series of events.

Hero of the Year (for adult members of the public)
Open to members of the public for acts of heroism and courage in the face of adversity. Examples could include the rescue of people from a dangerous situation and selfless acts which have helped prevent serious harm to people, the environment or buildings. This could be a single act or through campaigning, but must have a link with the fire and rescue service.

Young Hero of the Year (for members of the public under 18-years-old)

Open to young members of the public for acts of heroism and courage in the face of adversity. Examples could include the rescue or assisted rescue of people from a dangerous situation or a selfless act which has helped prevent serous harm to people, the environment or buildings. This could be a single act or through campaigning, but must have a link with the fire and rescue service.

Young Firefighter of the Year

This award is open to students taking part in West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Young Firefighters Scheme. The winner must have put a great deal of effort into the course and/or used their skills to help others. They may have made the greatest contribution, overcome adversity to complete the course or been involved in some form of humanitarian act which was made possible due to the skills acquired on the course.