BFRS wins silver

Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service (BFRS) has received an award from the Ministry of Defence for the work it is doing to support the Armed Forces community.

Last year BFRS signed the Armed Forces Covenant, which is its pledge to recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families can bring to the organisation.

It does this in a variety of ways, including supporting the employment of veterans of any age, and working with the Career Transition Pathway to advertise job opportunities.

Today (2 August) it was named as one of the 48 organisations in the South East to receive a silver award in the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme.

Chief Fire Officer Jason Thelwell said: “Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service has always endeavoured to support those who have served, those who are currently serving, and all those connected with the Armed Forces. We strongly believe the experience they have gained provides key transferable knowledge, skills and disciplines that can be of huge value to us.”

As it now begins to work towards achieving gold status, BFRS will continue to:

• Promote the fact that it is an Armed Forces friendly organisation.
• Recognise relevant military qualifications in our recruitment/application processes.
• Offering a degree of flexibility in granting leave for Armed Forces spouses and partners.
• Support employees who choose to be members of the Reserve forces, by accommodating their training and deployment where possible.
• Offer support where possible to local cadet units, and encourage our staff to be cadet helpers or instructors.