| Nick Collins, Assistant Commissioner of the LFB, has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal |
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Nick Collins has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal (QFSM) in the Queen's Birthday Honours list, in recognition of his dedication to the fire and rescue service.
AC Collins joined the Brigade in 1978 and rose through the ranks to become Assistant Commissioner. His first posting was as a firefighter at Richmond Fire Station in September 1978 and he was promoted to a Station Commander at New Malden in 1988 later receiving promotion to Assistant Chief Fire Officer in March 2000.
Nick said: "This is a great honour for me, and also staff I work alongside, as it's not possible to receive an award for distinguished service without benefitting from the advice of dedicated and talented colleagues. I've been fortunate to work on some challenging projects which have hopefully allowed me to make a positive impact on the way London Fire Brigade works."
One of Nick's most significant contributions to the Brigade is his work to modernise the fire service, both nationally and in London. This has included a project which led to a new way of training, assessing and developing firefighters to meet the changing demands of the fire service.
His work is also credited as playing a significant role in the Brigade's recent ‘excellent' rating from the Audit Commission.
Brian Coleman AM FRSA, Chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority said: "I am delighted that Nick has been awarded the Queen's Fire Service Medal. The fire service has seen some radical changes in recent years as we move to become a modern, forward looking organisation, and he has played a key part in this work."
The Queen's Fire Service Medal is awarded by Her Majesty the Queen to those members of the fire service who have exhibited devotion to duty or acts of gallantry.