Awards ceremony celebrates achievements of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service staff

Among those who were commended were a child who protected his mother from danger and a firefighter who put food on a resident’s table.

The event took place on Thursday, November 16, where 32 long service and good conduct medals were presented to members of staff who have served in the fire service for 20, 30 and 40 years. These were presented by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex, Lady Emma Barnard.

Duncan Crow, cabinet member for Community Support, Fire and Rescue, said: “Every year we hear stories of exemplary public service from West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service staff at the awards ceremony, which shows just how much time and effort they put into keeping our communities safe and well. It is an honour to attend the ceremony each year and formally recognise the dedication and commitment of those who have gone over and above.”

After the medals the Chief Fire Officer presented 15 Commendation Awards to those recognised for providing exceptional public service.

Among the winners were off-duty Midhurst firefighters Dan Moon and Wayne Challen, who saved a friend’s life when he experienced a heart attack. They received the Community and Partnership Award.

Jamie Cox was recognised as Charity Champion for raising thousands in memory of crew manager Mark Butler and watch manager Simon Constable.

Tribute to Sussex musician and Rok Skool founder Hereward Kaye

Sebby Saich received the Bravery Award for protecting his mother when she became locked in their home’s lift shift with the lift above her. Sebby, who was seven at the time, highlighted the dangers of the situation to Bognor fire crews before they entered the property, warning that they should not press the ‘lift call’ button. He kept calm and gave details on how to isolate power to parts of the building and even suggested several methods of rescue.

Mark Bateman, crew manager at Selsey Fire Station, received the Exceptional Service Award. After attending an incident caused by a faulty toaster, Mark cooked the elderly resident dinner before leaving and the next day he bought them a replacement toaster with his own money.

Chief fire officer Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said: “As an emergency service, we are incredibly privileged to be able to help residents when they need it most, often during their darkest hours, but every single one of our recipients has helped to make those hard times a little bit brighter. I am delighted to be celebrating those people that have positively contributed to our work, and I am full of complete admiration for their passion to care for others.”

Here is the full list of award recipients:

Long Service and Good Conduct Medals (20 years):

Marc Bagshaw (Crawley)

Steven Foster (Worthing)

Darren Seymour (East Preston and Training Team)

Robert Baker-Johnson (NILO Regional Lead)

Matthew Gamblen (Horsham and Midhurst)

Martin Taylor (Haywards Heath)

Gary Ball (Area Manager for Service Delivery)

Mark McCarthy (Chichester)

Darren Ware (Henfield)

Adam Condell (Station Manager, Protection)

Stephen Parkes (Horsham)

Philip Wattam (Lancing)

Daniel Covill (Crawley)

Beth Parry-Evans (Littlehampton and Shoreham)

Daniel Wright (Crawley)

Long Service and Good Conduct Certificate (20 years):

Mandy Anderson (Inspecting Officer, Protection)

Long Service and Good Conduct Medals (30 years):

Joseph Bullingham (Operational Risk Manager, Protection)

Steven Hayes (Station Manager, Training)

Richard Tout (Operational Risk Manager, Protection and Arundel)

Christopher Constanti (Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath)

Graham Marchant (Burgess Hill)

Andrew Tredre (Bognor Regis)

Michael Dunham (Training Team)

Jonathan Mays (Station Manager)

Andrew Tullett (Henfield)

Martin Eldridge (Retained Liaison Officer and Petworth)

Russell Moore (Station Manager, National Resilience)

Alistair Green (Station Manager Crawley)

James Mundy (Henfield)

Long Service and Good Conduct Medals (40 years):

Peter Langridge (Turners Hill)

Nigel Purves (Midhurst)