The extraordinary contributions of the behind-the-scenes heroes who work tirelessly to serve and protect the public have been celebrated at the Control Room Awards 2022. The ceremony took place on the opening day of the Emergency Services Show and featured many inspirational stories of professionalism, dedication and resilience.
The awards are the only accolades of their kind which recognise the selfless dedication of control room teams and individuals across the UK and abroad.
Winners of the Control Room Awards 2022 included:
- Karen Hay-Barr, a Dispatcher at Lincolnshire Police, whose vital role in the moments after a double murder prevented any further casualties and led to the successful capture and arrest of the suspect.
- Jules Fynn, 23, from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, who covers 12-hour search and rescue shifts on the River Thames as a sole operator, and has continually impressed colleagues with her maturity, dedication and talent.
- Dispatcher Sophie Sutton, also from Lincolnshire Police, who experienced a stroke in her 20s and lost control of the entire right side of her body. Just four months later, Sophie had made a remarkable return to work and is now set to achieve her dream of becoming a police officer.
- Helen Rea, a Control Room Officer with London Fire Brigade, whose tireless work has raised thousands of pounds for The Fire Fighters Charity and who has shared life-saving safety advice with the public in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Over 170 nominations were received from more than 40 organisations, including police forces, ambulance services, fire services, HM Coastguard and private care providers.
The awards are organised by founder Mike Isherwood. He said, “The Control Room Awards were launched to shine a spotlight on the remarkable work of so many outstanding individuals and teams in control rooms for the emergency services and critical control operations.
“This is an inherently humble community that rarely shouts about the life-saving work its members do every single day, instead focusing on keeping the public safe. That’s why it’s so important that these awards exist, to give these amazing people and their work much-deserved recognition.”
David Brown is Event Director of The Emergency Services Show. He joined the judging panel and presented one of the awards during the evening’s celebrations. He commented, “We were delighted to include the Control Room Awards within the line-up at this year’s Emergency Services Show. The show brings together all disciplines of the emergency services sector to share their experiences and mutual commitment to public safety. The winners and finalists at this year’s Control Room Awards are testament to the strength of this remarkable community.”
A full list of winners is available on the Control Room Awards website.
