A Year 5 pupil has been recognised with a joint Chief Fire Officer Award after using fire safety lessons learned at West Midlands Fire Service's Safeside centre.
A Year 5 pupil has been recognised with a joint Chief Fire Officer Award after using fire safety lessons learned at West Midlands Fire Service's Safeside centre to help protect his family during a house fire at their Warwickshire home.
Charlie, who attends Eversfield School in Solihull and lives in Hatton, received the award during a special assembly attended by representatives from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service (WFRS) and West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS).
The award – A joint Chief Fire Officer's Meritorious Action Award, recognises not only Charlie's calm actions during the incident, but also the positive impact of fire safety education and the value of partnership working across fire and rescue services.
In May 2026, an accidental fire broke out in an electrical fuse box at Charlie's family home.
When the smoke alarms sounded, Charlie immediately put into practice what he had learned during a visit to WMFS's Safeside centre just weeks earlier. Charlie placed wet towels against a door to help slow the spread of smoke and fire.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Henley-in-Arden and Kenilworth fire stations attended and safely extinguished the blaze where thanks to Charlie's quick-thinking, no-one was injured.
Firefighters who attended the incident praised Charlie's calm response, telling him that the actions he took, based on lessons learned at Safeside, would have helped prevent the fire from spreading further through the home.
Charlie said:
"When it happened, I remembered what we'd learned at Safeside and knew we needed to call 999 and help everyone get out safely. I'm really happy to receive this award, and I'm glad we visited Safeside because it helped me know what to do."
Chief Fire Officer Ben Brook, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:
"This is a fantastic example of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service working together to help keep people safe.
"Charlie's experience shows how prevention and response come together. After visiting the excellent Safeside facility, he learned some important fire safety skills and then put them into practice when a fire broke out at his family home.
"In what must have been a frightening situation, Charlie stayed calm, got out safely, called 999 and did all the right things. Because of those actions, the outcome was far better than it could have been.
"It was a pleasure to congratulate Charlie on everything he did that day and to recognise him with this joint Chief Fire Officer Commendation."
Paul Askew, Deputy Chief Fire Officer at West Midlands Fire Service, said:
"Charlie's actions are an outstanding example of how education can translate into real-life decision-making. Faced with an emergency, he remained calm, acted responsibly and helped protect those around him.
"This joint Chief Fire Officer Commendation recognises not only Charlie's courage, but also the lasting value of high-quality fire safety education for young people."
Charlie's dad, Doug, said:
"As parents, we're incredibly proud of Charlie. In such a frightening situation, he stayed calm and remembered exactly what he'd been taught. We're so grateful for the education he received at Safeside because it genuinely made a difference when we needed it most.
"We'd also like to thank the excellent firefighters from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service who attended and safely extinguished the fire at our home."
The incident demonstrates how fire safety education can give young people the confidence and knowledge to respond appropriately during an emergency. It also highlights the importance of working smoke alarms, knowing how to call 999 and having a plan to get out, stay out and call the fire service.
For Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, Charlie's story is a powerful example of how prevention activity delivered by one fire and rescue service can help protect communities beyond its own boundary. Together, education, prevention and emergency response helped ensure a positive outcome for Charlie and his family.