Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been shortlisted for the Resilience and Learning from Major Incidents Award at this year’s Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards, run by FIRE magazine. 

 This category recognises Services that have strengthened resilience and improved how learning from major incidents is captured and embedded. 

 During the past year, our operational learning and assurance team – led by Group Commander Anthony Doherty, Station Commander Steve Fowler and Watch Commander David Haynes – has transformed how we review and learn from incidents. Through the introduction of the operational learning review board and operational evaluation board, the service now has stronger governance, clearer accountability and more robust processes for ensuring lessons identified become lessons learned. 

 Their work has directly supported the debrief and learning from two major incidents: the London Luton Airport car park fire (October 2023) and the Cleat Hill gas leak and explosion (July–October 2024) – both complex, multi-agency operations that tested resilience, leadership and inter-agency coordination. 

 Tina Draper, head of training and assurance, 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 winner will be announced at a ceremony in London on Friday 5 December.  

 Congratulations to everyone involved – a fantastic recognition of our collective focus on learning, resilience and continuous improvement.