A LONG-SERVING member of the support staff at Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) has been recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.
Sonja Sinclair-Elechi, who has worked for HWFRS for 30 years, has been awarded the King’s Fire Service Medal for Distinguished Service.
She joined HWFRS in June 1995 in an administrative capacity but in 2005 she spearheaded the formation of a Critical Incident Support Team (CIST) to provide a professional debriefing and trauma support after high-impact events.
Now, 20 years on, she manages, along with two co-ordinators, a team of 29 professionals, and in 2018, she established the Welfare
Team, supporting colleagues facing stress, anxiety and a host of wellbeing challenges.
Sonja said: “I am truly humbled and deeply honoured to receive the KFSM.
“Knowing that those who nominated me believed I was deserving of such recognition is both touching and inspiring.
“I feel incredibly blessed.”
Chief Fire Officer Jon Pryce, who also holds the King’s Fire Service Medal said: “I am immensely proud that Sonja has been recognised.
“Sonja has for many years developed and overseen HWFRS’s welfare, staff support and counselling team, much of it in her own time, as well as working full-time in our payroll dept for 30 years.”
