Staff and teams from across Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) have been recognised for their outstanding achievements this year, scoring nine nominations at the Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards 2023 – more than any other service in the country.
GMFRS has been shortlisted in categories including Emergency Service of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Training Provider of the Year and Project of the Year.
Members of GMFRS have also been named as finalists in the Most Influential Woman in Fire, Most Influential LGBTQ+ Individual in Fire, and Most Influential Ethnic Minority Individual in Fire awards.
For the first time, a new category – Neurodiversity Champion of the Year – has been created to celebrate those who have excelled in making a positive different for neurodiverse fire service personnel, and a GMFRS staff member is among the inaugural nominees.
Dave Russel, GMFRS Chief Fire Officer, said: “I am immensely proud of everyone connected with GMFRS and the work they do, day-in, day-out, serving communities across Greater Manchester.
“For that work to be recognised at a national level is a testament to the professionalism and the dedication of our teams.”
Deputy Mayor for Police, Crime and Fire, Kate Green, said: “It’s great to see GMFRS top the nominations in this year’s Fire & Emergency Awards, and to have outstanding members recognised for their contributions championing equality and justice.
“It’s a reflection of the hard work that Dave and everyone at GMFRS has put in over the past year to strengthen and develop the service, making sure it’s in the best possible position to respond to ever-changing risks and demand across the city-region.”
The full list of nominations for GMFRS is:
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Emergency Service of the Year – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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Resilience and Learning from Major Incidents – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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Collaboration of the Year – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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Training Provider of the Year – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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Project of the Year – Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
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Neurodiversity Champion of the Year – Anita Taylor
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Most Influential Woman in Fire – Jenni Seex
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Most Influential LGBTQ+ Individual in Fire – Jax Effiong
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Most Influential Ethnic Minority Individual In Fire – Carl Petch
Winners of the ninth annual Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards, organised by FIRE Magazine, will be announced at a ceremony in Westminster on December 1.