Fire and rescue service scoops sustainability award

Jan Rowley from Liverpool City Council presents the Award to Adam Hebden GMFRS Environmental Manager and Councillor Paul Ankers GMFRA Member Champion for the Environment (third from right) along with other representatives from the NW Fire & Rescue Services

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and the NW Fire and Rescue services have scooped a top award for their programme to promote green behaviours and reduce green house gas emissions.
 
The North West Climate Leaders Awards 2010 recently took place at Preston Guild Hall where the NW Fire and Rescue services were presented with an award for ‘Influencing Behavioural Change’ and a prize of £2,000.
 
The award recognises the collaboration between the regional Fire and Rescue services and their success to date in promoting environmental awareness in staff partners and the public.
 
Chairman of Greater Manchester Fire Authority, Councillor Paul Shannon, said:  “We are delighted to receive this award in recognition of our work in reducing our collective impact on the environment.”

The key achievements, across the North West Fire and Rescue services, include:

• An estimated 2,860,800 carbon neutral miles cycled by staff who swapped their car for a bike to cycle to work saving £300,000 in fuel costs.
• Energy efficiency programmes reducing gas, electricity and fuel use, to save over £750,000.
•  A network of over 200 ‘Eco Champion’ volunteers who then developed a green champion’s manual and campaign materials to promote the benefits of sustainability to all staff: http://www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/about_us/sustainability.aspx
• A reduction in green house gas emissions from Fire Service activities of nearly 2,000 tonnes and water efficiency initiatives saving an estimated 19 million litres of water/year.

Adam Hebden, Environmental Manager for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, commented: “Staff have embraced the challenge of reducing waste and making our Fire Services greener. It’s incredible to think that over the last year alone fire service staff have cycled a distance equivalent to the moon and back six times over.”
 
As part of its green agenda, GMFRS is investing in energy efficient buildings. Currently, over a quarter of the existing fire stations across Greater Manchester use renewable energy. And, with the involvement of the local communities, our staff and partners, the two new fire stations planned for Bury and Rochdale in 2011 have the potential to be the greenest fire stations ever built.
Councillor Paul Ankers, Liberal Democrat Champion for the Environment at Greater Manchester Fire Authority, said: “Staff are the most valuable asset in any organisation and our recent success winning the NW Climate Leaders Award recognises their excellent work promoting green behaviours.”