Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has won a national award for a project credited with reversing a long-term decline in on-call firefighter availability.

The Service’s On-Call Improvement Programme (OCIP) was named ‘Project of the Year’ at the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards 2025, held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in London. The awards recognise innovation and achievement across UK fire and emergency services.

The programme, launched in 2023, was designed to strengthen the on-call crewing system, which staffs 75 per cent of the Service’s stations. Availability had dropped steadily over seven years, falling from 95 per cent to 83 per cent, raising concerns about future resilience and emergency response cover across the region.

Group Manager Phil Morris, who leads the programme, said he was “thrilled” by the national recognition.

“This award reflects the hard work, passion and commitment of everyone involved across the service,” he said. “We set out to make a difference for our on-call firefighters and the communities they serve, and we have gone some way to achieving this.

“This is once again proof that the on-call duty system is valid as a duty system, provided it is supported by services to ensure its success.”

The OCIP introduced targeted recruitment and retention work, expanded training opportunities and used data to identify pressure points within the crewing system. The service has reported a 3 per cent rise in availability since the programme began, bucking the downward trend seen across the UK, where the number of on-call firefighters has fallen sharply over the past two decades.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Craig Flannery, the programme’s senior responsible officer, said recent changes were starting to deliver “real return”.

He highlighted the rollout of software that gives managers better oversight of skills and availability, helping plan training and recruitment to keep engines “on the run”. He said the programme had required a tailored approach: “What has been clear right from the beginning is that one size does not fit all, and I’m proud of our Service’s efforts in thinking creatively and innovatively to address the different issues that present across our area.”

The National Fire Chiefs Council recently featured Mid and West Wales as two case studies in its national research on the on-call system - the only service to appear twice - noting the improvements achieved through the programme.

NFCC On-Call Forum chair Steve Healey said the award recognised progress made in an area that is proving challenging for services nationwide. “The importance of on-call firefighters is protecting communities across the UK cannot be understated,” he said, noting they cover around 90 per cent of the UK’s landmass.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service is continuing to recruit on-call firefighters. The roles involve responding to a wide range of incidents including fires, road traffic collisions, chemical emergencies, animal rescues and flooding. They also play a key role in community education and safety, conducting ‘Safe and Well’ visits in people’s homes. Visit: www.mawwfire.gov.uk/eng/join-us/on-call-recruitment