Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service has landed a prestigious award.

The Wildfire Training Team were present to receive the Training Provider of the Year in the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards, going up against other services and groups across the UK.

Recognising the need to improve the collective knowledge of wildfires, the NFRS Wildfire Training Team - which consists of one full-time staff member and a handful of part-time team members - took on the challenge of addressing wildfire learning needs across the whole sector.

They collaborated with the National Fire Chiefs Council and National Operational Learning teams and they are also producing a free, online e-learning package to accommodate for different learning styles.

As well as working locally, the Wildfire Training Team have conducted physical training courses to staff from across the UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Germany, and Denmark.

They've also designed a three-week specialist wildfire officer course for the Civil Protection Organisation in Saudi Arabia in conjunction with the Home Office, marking a first for the UK.

Gordon Stewart, Fire Authority Chair for Northumberland, said: “I’d like to congratulate the Wildfire Training Team on their excellent news.

"Their work over the last year has been exceptional.

“As part of Northumberland County Council, we're incredibly proud to see Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service continue to lead the rest of the country in its defence against wildfires.

"They are a fine example of excellence in our county, and we’re all excited to see where they’ll go from here.”

2022 was the first year that every UK Fire and Rescue Service recorded at least one wildfire, with the majority reporting multiple. One service recorded 120 wildfires.

As a result of wildfires, 16 services declared Major Incidents during July 18-19.

Rob Stacey, leader of the Wildfire Training Team, said: "It has been an immense privilege to win this award.

"As wildfires become increasingly common, we have a duty to continue to develop as fire and rescue services to be best prepared to tackle them.

"Northumberland is unique in the sense that much of our county comprises of woodlands, dunes, moors, and fields – prime locations for wildfires to take hold.

"However, as other counties have seen in recent years, wildfires have the potential to encroach on urban-rural boundaries and we’ve been able to work with other services to help them tackle them in the future."

Through collaborations with land managers nationally, Woodland Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Natural England, they have increased knowledge on how to prevent wildfires and improve necessary response mechanisms.

The team is now preparing for the next wildfire season and will continue offering training courses to further improve wildfire preparedness and response across the country.