A fire service emergency planning manager has won a top European award.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Russ Parramore was named European Business Continuity and Resilience Professional of the Year at the Business Continuity Institute’s annual awards in Edinburgh.

Russ has worked to develop the fire service’s plans to become one of the world’s leading public service authorities on business continuity.

He has previously spoken at the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) World Conference and Exhibition in London, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from over 100 countries.

Russ also chairs the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) business continuity group, which picked up a team award at the event for its work promoting good business continuity practices amongst fire and rescue services nationally.

Area Manager Stewart Nicholson said: “Business continuity is a hot topic for many large organisations, both public and private, as they seek to work out how they can limit the disruption to their staff and the people they serve after a catastrophic event, which could range from a simple power outage to severe staff shortages.

“It’s a real coup for South Yorkshire and for the fire sector as a whole that Russ has been recognised for his work in this area.”