London Fire Brigade celebrates fourth annual People Awards

London Fire Brigade (LFB) proudly hosted its fourth annual People Awards on 18 July, a night dedicated to recognising and celebrating the outstanding achievements of staff. 

This year saw the highest number of nominations, with over 300 individuals and teams being recognised.  The awards were attended by a range of community leaders including Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service Jules Pipe CBE, Chair of LFB’s Independent Advisory Panel Martin Forde KC and Chair of the Greater London Assembly Fire Committee, Hina Bokhari AM.

Over 250 guests attended the event at The Guildhall, including members of the LFB Community Forum, which helps the Brigade to put London’s communities at the heart of everything we do.

For the first time, the People Award categories were aligned to the Brigade’s newly defined values, which have been shaped by the experiences of staff and the communities we serve. Built upon on the National Fire Chief’s Council Code of Ethics, the values are Service, Integrity, Teamwork, Equity, Courage, and Learning and will sit at the heart of how the Brigade works.

The awards ceremony recognised outstanding achievements of individuals and teams across various categories that reflect the vital work undertaken by LFB every day. The awards given out this year include:

• Service Award – recognising people’s outstanding achievements in any field through either day-to-day service or a specific achievement. 
• Making a Difference Award – recognising people who have made a difference to the lives of others through their work, demonstrated by their selfless commitment to go above and beyond daily duties, whether that’s fundraising, volunteering, supporting their community or friends, neighbours and colleagues.
• Rising Star Award – recognising people who are new to LFB who demonstrate outstanding potential and commitment to the LFB values.
• Exceptional Actions Awards – recognising people who have taken exceptional actions which have stood out an incident or particular event, demonstrating skill and ability, and personal endeavour in challenging circumstances. 
• Equity Award – recognising people who make their workplace more inclusive by treating people fairly according to their needs, by doing things differently to overcome barriers
• Community Contribution Award – selected by members of our Community Forum, this award recognises people who have put the voice of the community they serve at the centre of their work.
•  Courage Award – recognising people who demonstrate acts of courage and step up to a challenge. This could be in any situation or by continuously demonstrating courage in daily work
• Learning Award – recognising people who listen to others so they can learn and improve, showing a commitment to professional development which positively improves the service they provide.
• Integrity Award – recognising people who act with honesty, integrity and accountability in all situations. 

The newly introduced values were consistently reflected in this year’s award winners.

Wimbledon Red Watch were the winners of the Service Award, recognised for their resilience, dedication, and professionalism throughout an exceptionally challenging 24 months for the watch where they faced a range of traumatic incidents

Station Officer Andy Cuthbert represented Wimbledon Red Watch. Andy highlighted the importance of recognition for the crew's efforts, stating, "Wimbledon Red Watch set the gold standard in levels of professionalism and commitment.

"The People Awards are a great way to celebrate the achievements of a wide variety of people from across the organisation."

Firefighter in Development Siobhan Priest, winner of the Rising Star Award, demonstrated LFB values in her ceaseless encouragement of those applying to join fire services.

She shared her excitement at winning an award, saying, “Receiving this award made me feel very valued by LFB.

“This award was given to me for the online work I’ve done since joining LFB and whilst I was in training school. I set up an Instagram account to give other people the information and insight I wish I had access to when I was going through the application process.

“I feel very proud when I hear back from people who found my account inspiring and as a result joined a fire service.”

Katie Deveraux from Operational Resilience, which won the Teamwork Award, reflected on the team’s achievement: "We were awarded in the teamwork category for the work we did to support the delivery of London Fire Brigade’s response to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

"I'm most proud of the way we pulled together as a team to deliver in such challenging circumstances at short notice.

"It felt lovely to be awarded and recognised in this way because the team does excellent work throughout the year."

Station Commander Paul Anstey, winner of the Making a Difference People’s Choice Award, demonstrated his dedication to the Brigade’s values through his involvement in community projects such as the Wrap Up campaign, which collected over 5,000 coats for those in need.

Paul expressed his gratitude for receiving his award, saying, “To be fortunate enough to win a People’s Award was a very special moment.

“It made me feel exceptionally proud not only to be part of LFB and such a fantastic evening but also that my award was voted for by Brigade personnel, which made it more personal to me.”

Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith, said: “The People Awards serve as a testament to the profound impact our staff have on their communities and each other.

“As the Brigade looks to the future, we remain committed to upholding our values and striving for excellence in all aspects of our service.

“The stories and achievements celebrated this year inspire us all to continue our work in making London Fire Brigade a trusted service and great place to work.”