Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has been awarded Silver under the Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme for its support to Defence and the wider Armed Forces community.

The Employer Recognition Scheme was launched to reward employers who support Defence People objectives and encourage others to do the same. This includes employing serving and former members of the Armed Forces community and demonstrating flexibility towards training and mobilisation commitments for Reservists and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.

Commenting on the announcement of the 2023 Employer Recognition Scheme Silver awards; Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserve & Cadets), Major General Marc Overton said:

“I would like to thank and congratulate the recipients of this year’s Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Awards.

"A Silver award recognises the fantastic efforts of employers throughout the UK who have both elevated their commitments under the Armed Forces Covenant and provided actual benefits to the Armed Forces Community.

The winners should all be proud of their life-changing impact and fresh opportunities they are providing to our Reservists, veterans and their families.

"The number of winners this year yet again shows that the Armed Forces family talent pool is also providing tangible business benefit.”

Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Steve Healey said:

“This award recognises our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. It’s fantastic that our support is being felt right now by people in the Armed Forces community. This is testament to the amazing amount of work completed by our team to get that support in place.

"With our Silver Award following swiftly on from the Bronze Award we earned back in October 2022, we’re excited to continue building a valuable support network for those who served our country. Our next aim is the Gold Award!”

Steve added

"At Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, we are keen to recognise the commitments made by our serving Armed Forces reservists and also our veterans. We recognise that we have many firefighters and officers that are either Reserve Forces staff or have previously served, and all add huge value to our Service and country.

"We also have a willingness to reach out beyond LFRS to help and support other veterans and that’s why we’re so proud to be given the Silver Award by the MoD as part of its Employer Recognition Scheme."

​​​About the Employer Recognition Scheme

The Employer Recognition Scheme is accessible online and uses a tiered approach for awards.

At the Bronze level employers are able to state their intent to support Defence, the regional Silver level recognises employers who actively demonstrate support and at the highest national level the Gold awards recognise those who have become advocates.

A dedicated website www.gov.uk/mod/employer-recognition supports the Employer Recognition Scheme allowing organisations to declare their support at Bronze level and for nominations to be made for both Gold and Silver awards.