Fire staff honoured

DEDICATION, commitment, and years of hard work were honoured at the annual Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service awards evening.

A total of 31 current and retired members of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were presented with one of two awards.

The long service and good conduct medal, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Hugh Duberly, was awarded to uniformed staff who had completed 20 years of service.

The chairman's award, presented by chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, Councillor Mac McGuire, was awarded to honour retired personnel who had served at least 25 years in the fire service.

Chief Fire Officer Tom Carroll said: "The awards evening gives us an opportunity to publicly acknowledge and applaud the efforts of those who served their community as members of the fire and rescue service.

"The success of the service and its good reputation are based on the professionalism, dedication, and commitment of its personnel."

Staff who received the long service and good conduct medal included Michael Mooney, who joined the fire service in 1987, and Nicholas Small, who joined in 1985.

Both are serving at Kimbolton fire station.

Leslie March and Gill Usher who joined the service in 1986 and now work in Huntingdon were also honoured.

Stuart Wilson, who has been with the service since 1985 and who works at Huntingdon and St Neots fire stations, was also given the medal.

Gill Usher said: "I was honoured to receive an award, and very excited, as I've never been given one before.

"The awards ceremony is a really nice way of thanking the families of employees of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, as without their support, a lot of firefighters would find it hard to be so committed to their job.

"Being given an award shows real commitment and dedication to the job, and everyone who received one should be very proud."

Derek Day from Ramsey was one of five personnel to receive the chairman's awards.