The spotlight has been shone on the behind-the-scenes heroes of the emergency services as winners of the prestigious Control Room Awards 2023 were revealed.

Representatives from control room teams across the UK and Ireland came together to celebrate the commitment, skill and resilience of operators and teams in these critical roles serving and protecting the public.

They gathered at the Leonardo Hotel and Conference Venue, Hinckley Island, Leicestershire, to celebrate the finest of this selfless community of dedicated professionals in the sixth annual Control Room Awards ceremony.

The event featured inspirational stories highlighting the high-pressure, life-saving scenarios control room teams face on a daily basis.

Winners of the Control Room Awards 2023 included:

Dolly Shilling, a Control Room Officer at London Fire Brigade, whose calm and assured approach helped protect fire crews from a man armed with a knife and coordinate the rescue of a man trapped in his bedroom during a house fire.
Tamsin Doar, a Dispatcher at Dorset Police, who managed emergency services attending a multi-casualty road traffic collision and helped save the life of a young child who suffered a bleed on the brain in the crash.
Josephine Howells, of Humberside Police, whose intervention saved the life of a man she encountered on her way home from work who was on the wrong side of the barrier on a bridge over a busy dual carriageway.
Thomas Stibbards, of London Fire Brigade, who was responsible for the concept and delivery of a new app, launched in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which allows fire crews, commanders and control rooms to share data and track incidents in real time.

More than 180 nominations were received from organisations across the UK and Ireland, including police forces, ambulance services, fire services and HM Coastguard.

Twelve awards were up for grabs at the ceremony, including a brand new award for 2023 – the British APCO Control Room Innovation Award. The award recognises an innovative approach, or use of technology, within the control room which has made a real difference to operations or performance.

Awards co-founder Mike Isherwood said: “First and foremost, I’d like to congratulate all the winners and thank all our sponsors and partners for making the Control Room Awards 2023 such a success.

“The Control Room Awards were launched to celebrate a community which works tirelessly behind the scenes to keep the public safe. Their passion and commitment to the role is inspiring and every individual or team nominated or shortlisted should feel immensely proud of the work they do.

“As has been the case every year since we launched these awards, our judging panel had an immensely difficult job selecting the finalists and, especially, the winners. The quality of entries – and the inspiring stories which emerged from within them – were truly extraordinary and testify to the strength and resilience of the control room community.”

Andy Day, Director of Business Development (Public Safety Group) at Major Sponsor Sopra Steria, said: “Our software is an integral part of many control room operations, helping individuals and teams manage and coordinate responses to fast-moving, life-threatening and high-risk situations on a daily basis when dynamic decision-making is vital.

“This technology supports efficient and effective emergency services responses, but an absolutely key factor in successful incident management is the extraordinary skill, professionalism and dedication of the people in control rooms and contact centres.

“We’re proud to support the Control Room Awards and congratulate all the winners. It’s an honour for us to be part of such an inspiring celebration of the emergency response community.”

The full list of Control Room Awards 2023 winners is:

Bravery and Courage Award Keiron Beadle, Kent Police

The judges said: “Choosing a winner for this award was very difficult, as the entries featured so many emotional stories that pull at the heartstrings.

“Keiron has dealt with life-changing events at a tender age and has demonstrated amazing commitment and responsibility for one so young. He is a credit to his family, to Kent Police and to his team.”

Community Champion Award – Sponsored by Sopra Steria Ben Hawkins, East of England Ambulance Service

The judges said: “This is Ben’s second Control Room Awards win, having been named Young Achiever of the Year in 2021, which shows what an outstanding individual he is.

“Ben’s commitment as a Community First Responder and volunteer with Norfolk Accident Rescue Service are extraordinary. He is devoted to saving lives.

“He is also tireless in his efforts to support his colleagues, particularly as an advocate for positive mental health.”

Control Room Ambassador of the Year Karen Sandland, Kent Police

The judges said: “Karen truly demonstrates the values of a Control Room Ambassador and does so much to raise the profile of the control room.

“She goes above and beyond in supporting colleagues and the community, all while dealing with significant personal health issues. The breadth of evidence in her nomination is truly humbling.”

Control Room Call Taker of the Year Dolly Shilling, London Fire Brigade

The judges said: “Dolly engages with callers quickly and easily to deal effectively with very difficult situations.

“The entry nominating Dolly highlighted two outstanding cases of call handling, in which she demonstrated expertise and professional curiosity that prevented serious injury or loss of life.”

Control Room Dispatcher of the Year – Sponsored by Saab UK Tamsin Doar, Dorset Police

The judges said: “Tamsin was the focal point in the co-ordination of responses during a very traumatic episode and made a major contribution to a positive outcome.

“Within her own team she is heavily involved in training and mentoring staff and supporting the next generation of control room professionals. She is an outstanding role model for her department and dispatchers around the country.”

John Gilhooly Award Dave Murphy, West Yorkshire Police

The judges said: “Dave embodies the spirit of this award, with his outstanding commitment and dedication to the team and to service to the public.

“He has been a stalwart of the West Yorkshire Police control room and will be hugely missed when he takes his well-earned retirement later this year.”

Leader of the Year Tina Box and Anna Morris, West Mercia Police

The judges said: “Tina and Anna are a dynamic duo and worthy joint winners of this award.

“With almost 50 years of combined service, they are phenomenal supervisors who translate strategic intent into excellent performance.”

Lifetime Achievement Patricia (Trish) Crombie, South Western Ambulance Service

The judges said: “Trish has created a lasting legacy during her 23 years of dedicated service to South Western Ambulance Service.

“Across several leadership roles, she has continually identified and delivered upon opportunities for service and performance improvement, while also always remaining strongly focused on developing and supporting people and teams.”

Services to the Public Josephine (Jo) Howells, Humberside Police

The judges said: “Jo has an absolute focus on serving the public, both inside and outside of her work.

“Her performance in helping a distressed man she came across on her way home was absolutely outstanding. Jo took the skills she uses in the control room and deployed them outside it, to avoid a potentially tragic end to a tense situation.”

Team of the Year – Sponsored by The Emergency Tech Show Scottish Ambulance Service, Call Handling Team

The judges said: “The Scottish Ambulance Service Call Handling Team demonstrates exceptional commitment and service to the people of Scotland.

“Despite the after-effects of the enormous pressures created by the pandemic, the team has driven tremendous improvements in operational performance which has been recognised through over 100 letters and messages of commendation from members of the public in a little over a year.”

The British APCO Control Room Innovation Award – Sponsored by British APCO Thomas Stibbards, London Fire Brigade

The judges said: “Thomas is a true innovator, as the pioneer of a Fire Survival Guidance app, launched by London Fire Brigade in part in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster. This technology is a major new tool which has helped protect lives and keep people safe.

“Thomas doesn’t just think “outside the box”, he is not afraid to take forward new ideas and initiatives that will help colleagues to save lives.”

Young Achiever of the Year Francesca (Fran) Kusel-Baum, East of England Ambulance Service

The judges said: “While unusually young to be a Regional Clinical Coordinator, Francesca is clearly a natural leader who can balance the technical aspects of the role with the needs of people, while driving innovation and change within her organisation.

“The judges were particularly impressed with her focus on patient care, organisational culture and her team’s personal development.”

The judges for the Control Room Awards 2023 were:

Detective Inspector Tonya Cook, Frontline Policing Advisor, College of Policing
Andy Day, Director of Business Development (Public Safety Group), Sopra Steria
Darryl Keen, Trustee, British APCO, and former Chief Fire Officer, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Matthew Leat, Assistant Chief Coastguard, HM Coastguard
Duncan Swan, Chief Operating Officer, British APCO
David Topping, Control Rooms Technical Lead, Home Office

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