Team Award presented to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service for protecting the county’s most vulnerable residents

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Home Safety and Safeguarding Team has won the top Team Award at the National Fire Chiefs Council Prevention and Protection Awards ceremony this week, recognising the extensive and complex programme of work carried out to protect the most vulnerable people of Northamptonshire.

The Team Award, which was collected by Prevention Team Leader, Tina Collett, was awarded in recognition of the programme of Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSV), including enhanced visits to residents with the most complex needs and risks, and their collaborative working with carers and other social care organisations to deliver the best possible outcomes for those people who require the most support or care.

The Team has also delivered multi-agency training to frontline staff from safeguarding organisations and integrated healthcare providers. They have been raising awareness of the direct links between neglect or self-neglect and fire safety in the home and have helped those people with caring responsibilities to recognise and reduce the risk of fire in their clients’ homes.

Business Manager for the Northamptonshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB), one of the partner agencies the Prevention Team works with, said: “NFRS is a valued partner with Tina and her team being highly valued colleagues supporting NSAB to deliver against their strategic plan.

“They have delivered several virtual learning events for NSAB, promoting our joint tools such as the Hoarding Framework and generating good multi-agency discussions to support learning and professional development. The Home Safety and Safeguarding Team are a pleasure to work with, they are enthusiastic, supportive and always work with integrity and compassion.”

Lisa Bryan, Prevention, Safeguarding and Partnership Manager at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “This team are truly focused on positive outcomes. They are productive, impactful and contribute to improvements within the Service and beyond.

“The number of outgoing Home Fire Safety Visit referrals has doubled in the last three years but the person-centred approach taken by the Prevention Team has enabled many vulnerable people across the county to remain living safely and independently in their own homes.

“Their vital work in our communities around safeguarding and reducing risk was also recognised by the HMICFRS in the July 2022 inspection and is again testament to how effective their interventions and prevention work is across Northamptonshire. I am extremely proud to have them within my wider Prevention Department.”

The NFCC Prevention and Protection Awards 2023 were established to celebrate the exceptional work and achievements of Prevention and Protection teams across the fire and rescue sector.