Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service celebrate success as staff are recognised at its recent awards evening
The evening also saw Chief Fire Officer Recognition Awards handed out to the highly successful and motivated Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) British firefighter 2023 challenge team, which is made up of 16 firefighters and Cllr Dave Norman, Cabinet member responsible for the fire and rescue service at Gloucestershire County Council, presented his Recognition Award to the Service’s Community Safety Team.
The ceremony was attended by staff from across the fire and rescue service, as well as their families.
Speeches were given by Chief Fire Officer Mark Preece, Cabinet Cllr Norman, Leader of the County Council, Cllr Mark Hawthorne, and The High Sheriff of Gloucestershire Henry Robinson.
Recipients of the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal were:
Group Manager Matt Armstrong
Station Manager Nick Bird
Firefighter Daniel Ireland
Firefighter Jo Glanville
Watch Manager Ben Gwyer
Long Service Thirty Years Clasp recipients:
Area Manager Mark Astle
Watch Manager Paul Powell
Watch Manager James Waldron
Watch Manager Mike Drew
Watch Manager Mark Schofield
Station Manager Andy Rood
The Chief Fire Officer Recognition Award was presented to:
GFRS British Firefighter Challenge Team 2023.
Amy Lynex
Bobby Petrov
Ceri Large
Chris Bishop
Hollie Carver
Josh Bence
Kai Weaver
Luke Kavanagh
Luke Batley
Matt Adams
Ollie Denning
Rachel Smith
Sam Cushing
Sam Elson
Teresa Waplington
Tim Davies
This was awarded for their efforts and outstanding achievements within the ‘British Firefighter Challenge 2023’ and for raising £2,755 for ‘The Fire Fighters Charity’.
The Councillor Dave Norman Recognition Award went to Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service Community Safety Team. This was awarded for their commitment to protect the communities we serve by providing the highest standard of community safety.
Cllr Norman said: “I was proud to be in attendance at the Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Awards Evening and to take the opportunity to mark the achievements of our staff.
“It was a chance to reflect not just on the hard work over the last 12 months, but also on the outstanding dedication our workforce demonstrates during their time serving the communities of Gloucestershire.
“It was wonderful to present the recognition award recognising the tremendous work that the community safety team contribute to making Gloucestershire safer. The team work incredibly hard to engage with our communities and spread life-saving safety messages.”
Mark Preece, Chief Fire Officer at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It was an honour to celebrate with our staff and their families at these awards.
“It provided an invaluable opportunity to recognise the hard work that our staff do on a daily basis with us. It was also a pleasure to be able to recognise the outstanding achievements that our GFRS Firefighter Challenge team have accomplished this year winning trophies and medals in combined and individual events, as well as raising a substantial amount of money for The Fire Fighters Charity.”