Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service has been shortlisted in two categories at the Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards 2026, recognising both an award-winning partnership project and an individual's outstanding contribution to the education of young people.
The awards, organised by FIRE magazine, celebrate excellence, innovation and dedication across the UK fire and emergency services. This year's awards attracted a record number of nominations, making competition for a place on the shortlist particularly strong.
The Service has been shortlisted in the following categories:
Emergency Services Collaboration of the Year
The Suffolk, Norfolk and Hertfordshire Fire Control Collaboration has been shortlisted for its innovative approach to strengthening resilience, efficiency and emergency response across the three fire and rescue services.
The collaboration has already received national recognition, having won the Outstanding Partnership/Collaboration category at the Fire Resilience Excellence Awards earlier this year. The award recognised a partnership model that combines locally based fire control in Suffolk with the added resilience and capacity of a multi-service collaboration.
The collaboration was delivered in phases, with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service going live in June 2025, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service following in January 2026 and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service joining in February 2026.
Together, they have established a shared fire control model that enables the three services to work seamlessly together, sharing demand and supporting one another during periods of high operational activity, major incidents and service disruption.
Suffolk, Norfolk and Hertfordshire share similar geography, with large rural areas and comparable operational challenges. The collaboration enables the services to pool expertise and resources while maintaining strong local knowledge and accountability within each county.
A key strength of the partnership is its ability to provide additional resilience during periods of increased demand, including severe weather, major incidents and multiple emergencies. During these periods, trained fire control staff across the collaboration can support one another, helping to maintain emergency response and reduce risk to communities.
The project also marked the return of fire control operations to Suffolk, bringing the Service's control function back into the county for the first time in more than a decade while strengthening resilience through closer collaboration with Norfolk and Hertfordshire.
Youth Champion of the Year
Youth Education and Development Manager Claire Watkins has been shortlisted in the Youth Champion of the Year category for creating and leading Spark, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's education programme for children and young people.
Since its launch in 2024, Spark has reached thousands of children and young people across Suffolk through schools, colleges, community groups and events. The programme provides engaging, age-appropriate education on topics including fire safety, road safety, water safety, anti-social behaviour and risk-taking behaviours.
Claire was recognised for her commitment to prevention and early intervention, as well as her success in expanding the programme to reach vulnerable groups and communities identified through local risk data.
Henry Griffin, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, said:
"We are incredibly proud to have been shortlisted in two highly contested categories at these prestigious national awards.
"The Fire Control Collaboration demonstrates what can be achieved when services work together to strengthen resilience and deliver better outcomes for the communities they serve. Having already received national recognition through a Fire Resilience Excellence Award earlier this year, it is particularly pleasing to see the collaboration shortlisted once again at a national level.
"Claire's nomination reflects her passion and commitment to helping young people make safer choices through education and prevention.
"To have been recognised in such a competitive year, with a record number of nominations received, is a tremendous achievement. Congratulations to Claire and to everyone involved in the Suffolk, Norfolk and Hertfordshire Fire Control Collaboration."
The winners will be announced at the Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards 2026 ceremony on Friday 27 November 2026 in London.
