Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service’s rural safety team has been shortlisted for a national award.

It is one of five nominees for Team of the Year at the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards, organised by Fire magazine.

The awards celebrate innovative working practices, initiatives, partnerships and technology in the fire and emergency services, and the winners will be announced on 4 December at a ceremony in London.

Over the last 18 months, the three operational crew managers Shaun Milton, Colin Owens and Paul Noke (who has recently replaced Graeme Pashley) have delivered a wide range of projects, focusing on fire safety and risk reduction.

Over 70 new home fire safety check referrals came from Boat Safety Week in May, where the team coordinated a safety campaign for boaters who live or work along the Kennet & Avon Canal.

They also liaise with partner agencies, including local authorities and the Canal & River Trust, to find the best ways of getting fire safety advice to this often transient community.

In September, the focus was on thatched properties and a number of awareness events were held around Wiltshire. Although fires in thatched roofs are fairly rare, the devastation caused can be immense, and such incidents are also very resource intensive for the Fire & Rescue Service.

Supported by NFU Mutual, the team visited local markets to encourage people who live in thatched properties to have a home fire safety check.

Part of their display was a miniature thatched roof, provided by a local thatcher, and this is now being adapted as a training tool for firefighters. This will give crews a better understanding of how thatch is constructed and, therefore, how to remove it in the event of a fire.

Another part of the rural safety team’s remit is heritage buildings, and two seminars were held in October at Longleat House in conjunction with NFU Mutual and Historic England.

Over 50 owners of heritage buildings and 45 representatives of Fire & Rescue Services from across the country attended the seminars, which focused on fire prevention, salvage plans and identifying risk.

In addition to all of this, the rural safety team are also the leads on animal rescue, and deliver regular refresher training to crews across the county as well as attending incidents to provide specialist support.

Chief Fire Officer Simon Routh-Jones said: “Our approach to rural safety has been very innovative, and I’m not aware of other services having a dedicated team like ours.

“It is something that has paid off handsomely, both in finding ways of getting the right advice to the right people in the right way, and in working with other organisations to deliver really effective projects.

“For farmers, rural businesses, boaters and heritage owners, being able to contact a specific team with the right knowledge and experience makes a huge difference, and it enables relationships and trust to be built up.”

He added: “I am delighted that the rural safety team has been shortlisted for this national award, as it shows that the work being done has been recognised as best practice.”

“The three mantras of the Fire & Rescue Service are Prevention, Protection and Response, and this team delivers across all three.

“They also have a superb track record in securing practical and financial support from businesses and rural organisations in support of their work. I am extremely proud of what they do, and long may it continue.”