Two sisters have had their dedication to public safety and long service commended at a ceremony where they were both awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal for 20 Years’ Long Service and Good Conduct.
On Thursday 23 October, Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service held its annual awards ceremony recognising employees who have devoted 20, 30 and 40 years of good conduct and long service. The event was held at Pride Park Stadium in Derby, with award recipients joined by their families, Fire & Rescue Authority members, and representatives from sponsors, PBI Performance Products and Motus Commercials.
Among the many employees recognised as part of the evening were two sisters, Sarah Evison and Annamarie Masterson (pictured left-to-right), who each celebrated two decades working as part of UK Fire and Rescue Services. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret’d) David Dawber TD DL presented both Sarah and Annamarie with 20 Years Long Service and Good Conduct Medals on behalf of His Majesty the King, as HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire.
Sarah is a Firefighter Control Operator who answers 999 calls from across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and mobilises the most appropriate fire and rescue resources and personnel based on the type of incident.
Meanwhile, Annamarie is a Wholetime firefighter based at our Long Eaton fire station. She and her crew respond to a wide and varied range of emergencies including fires, road traffic collisions, flooding, people who are trapped, chemical spillages and many more. This really is a family of emergency service workers, Annamarie’s husband, Barclay Masterson, is also an operational firefighter, working as a Station Manager overseeing fire investigations.
Occasionally, Sarah’s role in Control means she may be the one to mobilise Annamarie to an incident. Not only this, it might be Barclay carrying out the fire investigation – a unique example of one family’s commitment to community safety!
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Sarah Evison said “Receiving my King’s 20 Year’s Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on the same evening as my sister has made this evening extra special. It has been a real honour to be recognised for the work I do, helping to keep the communities of Derbyshire safe and being there on the end of a 999 call when they need us most.’
Annamarie went onto say, ‘It is a priviledge to be honoured with a Kings’s medal for Long Service and Good Conduct and receiving this alongside my sister, in the presence of my husband who is also an operational station manager is very humbling. I hope that Sarah and I can be an inspiration to other women who may be considering a career in the fire and rescue service, whether on the front line, responding when our communities need us, or as Sarah does, answering those critical 999 emergency calls.’
Huge congratulations to Sarah, Annamarie, and all of our award recipients. Thank you for Making Derbyshire Safer Together.
