Cumbrian team crowned best tactical firefighters in the north west

Cumbrian firefighters have triumphed against hefty competition from services across the north west to be crowned the best tactical firefighting team in the region.

Competing in the 2026 North West Regional Tactical Firefighting Challenge with teams from Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside services at the latter’s Training and Development Academy last Friday, Cumbria’s five-person team came out on top with a makeup which was fittingly representative of our service as a whole, consisting of four on-call firefighters and one wholetime firefighter.

Crew Managers Christian Neen, Ryan Fitzwilliam and Ryan Collins and firefighters Pat Campbell-Jenner and Sean Fitzsimmon were commended for their use of CFRS’s new fireground setup and tactical firefighting procedures, impressing judges and the other services with their innovation in tactical firefighting, including use of 38mm hose and tactical ventilation.

The result, which was judged by peer assessment, is also a credit to the hard work and dedication of their trainers, Station Manager Tom Harding, Watch Manager Tom Jermy and Crew Manager Andrew Stark, who have worked closely with the team using the facilities at Service HQ to prepare for the competition – including the impressive new custom-made training house.

The service was praised by Anna Stec, Professor of Fire Chemistry and Toxicity at University of Lancashire, for its thorough procedures for managing contaminants to protect staff both on and beyond the fireground.

Dave Love, Area Manager for Response at Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service, said:

“It was an immensely proud moment to see our team come away with this recognition, facing such strong competition from our neighbours in the region and in challenging conditions on the day.

“It was especially rewarding to receive really positive feedback on our innovation in fireground setup and how our team managed contaminants, both areas which have been the subject of a huge amount of time and effort to make sure we work safely and effectively.

“This success reflects not only the hard work and dedication of those who were directly involved on the day, but equally the contributions of people across both our operational and corporate teams who work every day to enable us to deliver the best possible service for our communities.”