Celebrating our Prevention Delivery Team’s national award win

We are proud to announce that Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Prevention Delivery Team has won the Innovation of the Year Award for their groundbreaking work in transforming water safety across Cheshire at the 11th annual Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards 2025.

Held in London on 5 December, these prestigious awards celebrate fire and emergency services across the UK that show exceptional commitment to protecting and supporting their communities. This national recognition highlights our team’s strategic, evidence-led and inclusive approach to improving water safety.

Using detailed incident analysis and community insight, the team developed a pioneering Water Safety Strategy driven by targeted education, data-led campaigns and strong multi-agency partnerships.

Their key achievements include structured water safety lessons delivered in 72 schools, virtual sessions for home-educated children, tailored resources for children with special educational needs, and supporting the rollout of the RNLI Water Responder Scheme, training 121 community responders to assist during urgent incidents.

This award also reflects the dedication of the wider Prevention team, whose creativity, collaboration, and community engagement are setting a new national standard for water safety.

Speaking after receiving the award, Station Manager Ryan Swindells said: “We are incredibly proud to have won the Innovation of the Year Award. The team has put so much effort into understanding local risk, designing inclusive resources and working closely with our partners to keep our communities safe. This recognition is a fantastic testament to their dedication and passion for preventing harm and saving lives.”

The team continues to explore new and innovative ways to promote water safety and reduce water-related incidents across Cheshire.

We were also delighted to have two further finalists recognised at this year’s awards:

  • Daniel Maude, shortlisted for Youth Champion of the Year for his outstanding work engaging and inspiring young people.

  • The Persons at Heightened Risk Team, finalists for Team of the Year for their exceptional commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities.

These nominations reflect the breadth of professionalism, compassion and dedication across our Service.

Congratulations to all our nominees, and a special well done to the Prevention Delivery Team for their national award win and ongoing commitment to keeping Cheshire safe.