Inspiring control room heroes have been recognised for their extraordinary work serving and protecting the public.
The APD Control Room Awards 2020 have honoured the life-saving, behind-the-scenes work of control room stars who go above and beyond in their roles every day.
The awards, run by APD Communications, are the only accolades of their kind to recognise the unsung heroes of the control room community in the UK and Ireland.
The 2020 ceremony was held at Jury’s Inn, Hinckley Island, Leicestershire, last night (5 March), and heard some truly inspirational stories of professionalism, dedication, selflessness and bravery. They included:
- Dispatch Supervisor Martin Lonsdale, of North East Ambulance Service, who showed incredible bravery in rescuing three people from an overturned, burning vehicle, moments before it exploded.
- Helen Collier, of Avon and Somerset Police, who displayed great professionalism to keep a distressed woman on the phone long enough for officers to get to the caller’s address and cut her down as she tried to hang herself.
- Ashleigh Spriggs, of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, who was the duty watch officer during the Leicester City helicopter crash and received commendations from the club and the fire service for his handling of the tragic and distressing incident. He was also recognised for championing the work of control room employees in all he does.
- Hannah Bird, of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, who, despite her relative inexperience, acted quickly and decisively to help save the life of someone who had fallen overboard.
Now in their third year, the 2020 awards attracted almost 400 nominations from more than 80 organisations committed to supporting the public and safeguarding society.
APD Communications develops critical, life-saving software used by the police and other emergency services organisations across the UK, as well as transport and aviation operations nationally and internationally, and stages the awards to ensure outstanding work in control rooms is recognised and rewarded publicly.
APD Managing Director Mike Isherwood said: “Selecting the winners from so many outstanding nominations was an incredibly difficult job. Reading the entries I found myself absolutely gripped from beginning to end by the amazing stories of selfless public service.
“We created these awards to shine a spotlight on the awesome work of people and teams in control rooms and to tell their stories.
“The control room community is inherently modest but, as a result of these awards, they are sharing their experiences. It’s clear they now have the confidence and belief to say ‘we deserve recognition because we do a great job’.
“We’re proud that, working with so many great partners, we’re able to provide the platform for richly-deserved acknowledgement.”
Pictured: Control Room Ambassador of the Year Ashleigh Spriggs, of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, is presented with his award by Jo Ward of event organiser APD Communications, left, and awards host Helen Fospero.
The full list of APD Control Room Awards 2020 winners is:
Control Room Call Taker of the Year, sponsored by the Emergency Services Times
Winner: Helen Collier, Avon and Somerset Police
The judges said:
“Helen shows great empathy with members of the public, particularly the young and vulnerable, and goes above and beyond in dealing with difficult situations inside and outside the control room and looking after the public.
“Her handling of a distressing incident in which caller was intent on taking her own life was remarkable and prevented a tragic end to the episode.”
Control Room Dispatcher of the Year, sponsored by Hexagon
Winner: Carmel Sharkey, National Ambulance Service of Ireland
The judges said:
“Carmel is admired by her colleagues for her professionalism, care and compassion for the public. This was shown in how she ensured the distressed mother of a missing son didn’t fall through the cracks and received the assistance she desperately needed.
“Carmel went the extra mile in working across national borders to help the woman. As so often with the control room community, she saw the person, rather than the incident, and responded accordingly.”
Leader of the Year, sponsored by Northgate Public Services
Winner: Carly Pointon, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service
“Carly is a worthy winner, in recognition of her highly effective leadership of the successful merger of two fire service control rooms into one, thereby delivering significant value to the public.
“Managing a consolidation such as this is an incredibly difficult job, involving significant changes affecting people, processes and systems, while maintaining service to the public. Carly’s performance was truly outstanding.”
The Award for Services to the Public, sponsored by telent
Winner: Paula Holden, Merseyside Police
The judges said:
“Paula truly embodies the spirit of public service with her totally selfless commitment to voluntary and charity work over many years.
“She supports numerous worthy causes in her local community in so many ways. Paula inspires people inside and outside the workplace and her work to raise the profile of the control room is also a great credit to her.”
Special Recognition Award for Bravery and Courage, sponsored by UKCloud