Pride of Guernsey: Pride in the line of duty
EMERGENCY services personnel in Guernsey do an excellent job and regularly go above and beyond the call of duty for the good of the community, said Head of Law Enforcement Patrick Rice, who is fully behind the new Pride of Guernsey Emergency Hero of the Year Award.
From the ambulance and fire services, through to police, the Border Agency, coastguard, Air Search and lifeboat, staff and volunteers make a positive impact on a daily basis.
He said people turned to the emergency services in their hour of need and that interaction could have a lasting impact on someone's life.
'For staff in these hugely important roles, acts that might be considered heroic by the wider community are a relatively regular part of their duties – if you asked the individual staff they would likely say that they were only doing their job,' Mr Rice said.
'Emergency services personnel often work in high-pressure environments where their skills are put to the test and they regularly place themselves in harm's way to help and protect others.'
Mr Rice added that the Emergency Hero of the Year Award was an excellent opportunity to recognise some of the feats carried out by staff in the line of duty.
'As a small community we regularly learn of incidents involving the emergency services, whether that be an inshore or cliff rescue, a house fire, a serious road traffic collision or a search and rescue mission at sea.
'At the centre of those incidents are members of our community who are going through a traumatic time, but are being supported and assisted by highly-skilled and professional emergency services personnel.
'There are also daily examples of excellence that the wider public does not necessarily hear about; ambulance staff saving lives when responding to a 999 call, for example, or police officers supporting victims of crime, or the coastguard helping a vessel in trouble.
'I am proud to work alongside such skilled and passionate services, and I look forward to nominated staff receiving richly deserved acknowledgement.
'I would also encourage anyone who has been helped by the emergency services to consider nominating the relevant personnel for this award.'
* The nomination period for all 12 Pride of Guernsey Awards remains open until 30 June. Forms appear in paper or visit our dedicated sister website www.prideofguernsey.com/nominate
