Eleven new wholetime firefighters for Derbyshire

Credit: Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service

Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service has marked the end of training for 11 new Firefighters who will now begin their careers at fire stations across the county.  

Formally welcoming the new recruits on Friday 17th July 2026, Derbyshire’s Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Michael Sharman hosted a pass out ceremony to celebrate and mark their achievement with the presentation of certificates, special awards, and operational displays for the assembled guests.

Speaking afterwards, CFO/CE Sharman said: “It is always an honour to see trainee Firefighters complete their initial training course; an exciting time as they take the next step in their fire service career on stations across Derbyshire.  

“While their initial training is complete, the next two years will see each of them undergo a period of development, gaining valuable experience dealing with the wide range of incidents the Service attends, and carrying out a range of community engagement activity to support the Service’s vision of Making Derbyshire Safer Together.  

“The last 14 weeks of training will have undoubtedly been challenging, with trainees gaining valuable skills and experiences that will support their careers for years to come. I would also like to recognise our dedicated operational training team for their guidance and support, as well as the recruitment and selection team whose hard work made today possible.

“As each of our new trainees leave the training centre today, I wish them every success and look forward to following their careers within the fire and rescue service.”

The 11 firefighters passing out from Wholetime Course 115 will be joining the following stations: Ascot Drive, Ilkeston, Kingsway, Long Eaton, Nottingham Road, and Swadlincote.

Special awards
At the end of each firefighter trainee course, three special awards are presented.

The Silver Axe is presented to the trainee who has consistently achieved a high standard in both the technical and practical aspects of the course from day one.

Earlier this year, two new special awards were introduced in memory of Derbyshire’s retired Chief Fire Officer, Gavin Tomlinson, and former Chief Fire Officer, Rob Taylor, who sadly both passed away last year. Both are sponsored by PBI Performance Products, a company whose fabrics are renowned for their exceptional flame resistance and thermal protection from radiant heat and are favoured by firefighters around the world.

The Gavin Tomlinson Outstanding Technical Award is presented to the trainee who achieved the highest combined mark across all their technical knowledge assessments.

The Rob Taylor Outstanding Teamwork Award goes to the trainee who has given help and support to other members of the team probably at times away from the gaze of instructors.

The special awards for WT Course 115 were presented to:

• Silver Axe – Lucy Griffiths
• The Rob Taylor Outstanding Teamwork Award – Michael Emmerson
• The Gavin Tomlinson Outstanding Technical Award – Joe Hill