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County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service has been named UK Fire and Rescue Service of the Year at the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards, in what the service described as an “exceptional night of national recognition”.
The accolade recognises outstanding performance across prevention, protection and response, with judges highlighting the service’s strong inspection results, innovation and work with local communities.
In addition to the top award, the service was also inducted into the iESE Hall of Fame, an honour reserved for organisations that have demonstrated sustained excellence in transforming public services.
Judges pointed to a number of initiatives behind the recognition, including the service’s ‘Outstanding’ inspection results, a productivity app designed to improve operational efficiency, and an award-winning apprenticeship programme supporting workforce development.
Chief Fire Officer Steve Helps said the awards recognised the work of staff across the organisation.
“This is an incredibly proud moment for our service,” he said. “Being named UK Fire and Rescue Service of the Year is a testament to the dedication, professionalism and commitment of our people, who work tirelessly every day to keep our communities safe.”
“These awards belong to every member of our service and to the communities who support us every step of the way.”
The annual awards celebrate innovation and transformation across the UK public sector and are widely regarded as a benchmark for organisations delivering new approaches to public service delivery.
National recognition for Tyne and Wear
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service also received national recognition, picking up Gold for the Community and Customer Focus Award and Silver for the Efficiency and Effectiveness Award.
The gold award recognised the service’s transformed prevention model, which focuses on earlier intervention and placing communities at the centre of safety work. Judges highlighted expanded youth engagement programmes, targeted outreach for at-risk groups and stronger partnerships with regional stakeholders.
The silver award acknowledged the success of the service’s Unwanted Fire Signals (UwFS) Reduction Project, which addresses a long-standing challenge of false alarm call-outs. More than 44,000 unnecessary mobilisations were recorded over the past decade before the new approach was introduced.
The project shifted away from a charging-based model towards a wider strategy centred on education, compliance and behaviour change, including partnership work with universities aimed at reducing false alarms in student accommodation.
Chief Fire Officer Peter Heath said the awards recognised the commitment of staff across the organisation.
“These awards reflect the professionalism, innovation and commitment shown by the people and teams across Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service as they continue to deliver community focused, prevention led work,” he said.
“These awards belong to everyone involved and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to supporting and keeping the citizens of Tyne and Wear and the business community safe from harm as well as looking out for each other as we continue to improve and adapt.”
The service was also presented with an iESE Certificate of Excellence, recognising the overall quality of its transformation work during the judging process for the Fire and Rescue Service of the Year category.
The iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards celebrates excellence across the UK public sector and is regarded as one of the most respected national benchmarks for service transformation.
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