A Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service officer has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours. 
 

Ronnie Wright, who has worked for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service for 44 years, received the award in recognition of his commitment to improving firefighter safety and supporting his local community. 

 

Ronnie said he was totally "taken aback" by the "breathtaking" news.  

 

The grandfather-of-three, 65, who lives in Red Row, with his wife Carol, said: “When I opened the letter, I was totally taken aback. I just come to work and do my job and hope that at the end of the day you go home leaving someone in a better place than when you turned up. To receive something like this is breathtaking.   

 

“I’m very proud to work for Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service and Northumberland County Council. We’re ‘can do’ organisations, and never say no – we just look at the problem and find ways to overcome it. Every day is different.” 

 

As Fleet Technical Officer, Ronnie ensures the service has the best vehicles and equipment to keep his colleagues and the county’s residents safe. Every service’s fleet is bespoke to the areas they serve, and Ronnie makes sure Northumberland’s fleet matches the needs of our unique county – prepared to tackle everything from urban to rural fires and wildfires.   

 

On top of the day-job, he also served as an on-call firefighter for 25 years and has played a crucial role in Northumberland’s response to emergencies – from delivering PPE during Covid and essential supplies to residents during Strom Arwen to supporting with gritting the county’s roads and rescuing drivers stranded by the snow.   

 

He also joined in with international emergencies too – including being part of a Northumberland County Council delegation in the late 1980s that travelled to Poland to support public officials during the fall of the Berlin Wall.  More recently Ronnie was fundamental in supporting two convoys of fire appliances from Northumberland to the Poland - Ukraine border for use by the Ukrainian Fire & Rescue Service during the current conflict.   
 

In his spare time, Ronnie is a keen gardener and is the founding member of a local community interest company providing support to local gardeners and animal owners through the provision of supplies. The profit from this is all donated to local charities. 

 

Chief Fire Officer, Graeme Binning, said: “I am delighted that Ronnie has been recognised in this year's New Year's Honours List, it recognises a lifetime of service to Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service and Northumberland County Council in making our communities safer.   

 

“This award additionally recognises the contribution Ronnie has made in improving firefighter safety and also his selfless contribution to charity work. On behalf of everyone at Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service I wish him our warmest congratulations.”   

 

Leader of the Council, Glen Sanderson, said: “This is wonderful news and I would like to congratulate and thank Ronnie for all that he has done and continues to do for his colleagues and the people of Northumberland.   

 

“He is a true community hero and I am so pleased that his outstanding contribution to the safety and wellbeing of others has been recognised.”