Firefighters honoured for long service in Cheshire

FOUR firefighters from the Warrington area were among 19 who have served Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service for 20 years honoured at a ceremony at Carden Park, near Cheshire
The Long Service Good Conduct medal was presented to 19 serving firefighters and five fire staff members received the Continuous Service Medal from Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire David Briggs.
They have collectively given 560 years of service to keeping Cheshire residents safe.
The firefighters who received a Long Service Good Conduct Medal were FF Ian Ball (Warrington), station manager Marcus Beechey (HQ), FF Steven Benbow (Crewe), FF Iain Dunne (Crewe), watch manager Kevin Grace (Wilmslow), crew manager Andrew Hallworth (Lymm), FF Andrew Horne (Lymm), group manager Anthony Jones (HQ), FF Michael Jones (Ellesmere Port), watch manager Anthony McCarthy (Chester), FF John Monaghan (Penketh), watch manager Ronnie Moore (Northwich), station manager Carl Nevitt (HQ), FF John O’Neill (Wilmslow), FF Steven Painter (Powey Lane), FF Andrew Palmer (Winsford), crew manager Steven Parker (Crewe), watch manager Gary Raper (Widnes) and FF Iain Roberts (Chester).
There were also awards for fire staff. Head of protection Mark Abram, technical support Eifion Evans, operational training manager Kevin Hughes and SSRI officer John Salt all received a 40 year continuous service award. Safety advisor Terry Coppenhall received a 20 year continuous service award.
Chief fire officer Mark Cashin said: “All of those who have received this award have served the people of Cheshire with exemplary conduct for decades and should be proud of what they have done for their communities.
“I am delighted that we have such dedicated members of staff in Cheshire and their skill and expertise are invaluable when faced with the difficult situations we tackle daily.”
The firefighters received a medal with a long and proud history dating back more than 60 years – it was instigated by the then Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, who supported an award for Fire and Rescue Service personnel who had successfully completed 20 years’ service.
A Royal Warrant was approved by the Queen and an announcement was made in the House of Commons by Winston Churchill on June 1, 1954, accompanied by a White Paper giving the terms of the warrant.
The Long Service and Good Conduct Medal is hand-stamped with the recipient’s name and awarded to those individuals who have completed 20 years’ exemplary service.