Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) Eastern Area Commander, Chris Kerr, has been honoured in the New Year’s Honours List, receiving the prestigious Queen’s Fire Service Medal (QFSM) for distinguished service.

 

Chris who is based at Central Fire Station in Belfast has been recognised for his service, professionalism and courage in protecting the community from fires, road traffic collisions and other specialist rescue incidents such as flooding and hazardous materials incidents.   

 

Chris joined the then Fire Brigade on 6^th May 1985 and started his career as a Firefighter at Central Fire Station and has served in all the Belfast Fire Stations throughout his career.  He served in South & East Tyrone as District Commander from 1993-1996 where he still lives in Coagh, Co. Tyrone. 

 

He was appointed to his current role, Area Commander for Eastern Area Command, in March 2003 and in 2004 Chris assumed additional responsibility for specialist rescue operations which includes the Specialist Rescue Team, Hazardous Materials, Marine Firefighting and Flooding operations and represents NIFRS nationally on specialist operations and flooding forums.

“It is a great honour to have been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in the New Year’s Honours List.  I am personally delighted but would also like to dedicate this to everyone that I serve with in Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service – not least the staff throughout Eastern Area Command and the Specialist Rescue Team.  I am proud and privileged to work alongside such dedicated and professional people every day.  I would also like to thank my family for all their support over the years. 

“On behalf of everyone in Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service we are delighted that Chris has been awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal and congratulate him on this achievement.  Chris is a great ambassador for NIFRS throughout the UK and indeed further afield as he has represented NIFRS on many occasions in Europe and America.  He recently led a team of Firefighters to a major flooding training exercise in Holland that was attended by Fire & Rescue Services and other partner organisations from across the world.

 

“Everyone in NIFRS works hard to deliver the best possible fire and rescue service for the people of Northern Ireland and this award is a great honour, not only for Chris and his family, but the wider NIFRS family as it is recognition of the job we do every day saving lives and rescuing people.  Congratulations to Chris and his family on this distinguished recognition.”