On Wednesday, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service was given the title of UK Fire and Rescue Service of the Year at the iESE Public Sector Transformation Awards. The service also received the iESE Hall of Fame Award on the same night. The awards ceremony takes place annually and celebrates excellence across the public sector.
The accolade recognizes outstanding performance, innovation, and impact across prevention, protection, and response. Judges highlighted outstanding inspection results, its productivity app, apprenticeship program, and work in the local community. Chief Fire Officer Steve Helps said, "This is an incredibly proud moment for our Service.
" He added, "To also receive the iESE Hall of Fame Award makes this recognition even more special, as it reflects not just what we’ve achieved this year, but the consistency, culture and values that our teams bring to everything they do. " The specific criteria or metrics used by the judges to determine the winner have not been disclosed. How many other fire services were competing for the UK Fire and Rescue Service of the Year award is also unknown.
The service has been recognized with multiple prestigious national awards.