Corby crew commended for rescuing man from house fire

A team of Corby firefighters has been commended after rescuing a man from a blaze and reviving him at the scene.

The Corby White Watch team was praised at the annual Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service awards ceremony, which took place in Kettering on October 7.

Heather Pugh, Alexandra Hindwood, Giovanni Gioia and Lynton Jacobs were commended for their efforts after the incident in Studfall Avenue.

They were called to a house fire on March 15, rescuing a man and successfully reviving him. An investigation later revealed the fire most likely started accidentally.

Chief fire officer Darren Dovey said: “We are incredibly proud of the work done by all our firefighters over the last year, and it was fantastic to reward some of those achievements where people have delivered an outstanding service to the public.

“It’s also nice to see our staff celebrate with their friends and family. When a person joins the fire service or another emergency service, they do not join alone - the whole family joins with them.

“The fire service continues to be held in high regard by the community and this is due, in no small part, to the efforts of the people who we have commended and their unselfish commitment to the safety of our community.”

Two members of the public, Charlotte Smith and Tracy Hurley, were also commended for their efforts in assisting a water rescue at Rushden Lakes in June 2022.

At the ceremony two commendations were given to staff members who work for the service’s control team, which fields calls from members of the public who are dialling 999.

The control team as a whole was commended for their efforts during the summer heatwave this year. The week commencing August 7 – when temperatures hit the late 30s – saw fire control take 802 calls compared to the 241 they had received in the same week 12 months prior. It also saw them mobilise crews to 328 incidents in total.

Police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold presented White Watch Kettering with the service’s community engagement award for their support of Johnny’s Happy Place - a community interest company run by volunteers in memory of Kettering man Johnny Mackay.

Assistant chief fire officer Shaun Hallam also commended Irthlingborough for being the on-call station with the best availability throughout the year, while the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Crispin Holborow, personally handed out two awards to celebrate the work of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the communities in which they live and work.

Scott Fitzsimmons was the first recipient after dedicating two years of voluntary work for the fire service. As well as helping to deliver medical prescriptions during the Covid pandemic, Scott has played a vital role in attending community events around Northamptonshire including Diwali and Northampton Pride, representing NFRS to promote safety messages.

The second recipient was Michelle Bates, a youth engagement officer for the service and until recently an on-call firefighter at Raunds Station. Michelle also helps to deliver the Northamptonshire Emergency Cadets scheme, supporting more than 300 young people in their development and empowering them to be advocates for community safety. A number of the cadets under her watch have gone on to become firefighters.