Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been shortlisted for a national award recognising its work to strengthen resilience and embed learning from major incidents.
The Service is a finalist in the Resilience and Learning from Major Incidents Award category at this year’s Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards, organised by FIRE magazine.
The category honours services that have improved how operational learning is captured, shared and applied following major events.
Over the past year, Bedfordshire’s operational learning and assurance team, led by Group Commander Anthony Doherty, Station Commander Steve Fowler and Watch Commander David Haynes, has transformed how the service reviews incidents and turns findings into action.
By introducing new operational learning and evaluation boards, the Service has strengthened governance, clarified accountability and developed more robust systems to ensure lessons identified become lessons learned.
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The team’s work has already supported learning from two of Bedfordshire’s most complex recent operations: the London Luton Airport car park fire in October 2023 and the Cleat Hill gas leak and explosion between July and October 2024.
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Both incidents required large-scale, multi-agency responses that tested leadership, resilience and coordination across emergency services.
Tina Draper, head of training and assurance at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This shortlisting is a real testament to the dedication and professionalism of our operational learning and assurance team.
Over the past year, they’ve strengthened how we learn from incidents, embedding that learning into how we train, plan and respond. Their commitment to continual improvement ensures that every experience helps us deliver the best possible service to our communities.”
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Friday, 05 December 2025.
