Two members of the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) have been recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours.

Station Commander Patrick Quinn received the King’s Fire Service Medal for his service to the fire and rescue service. On-call Crew Commander Sam Todd was awarded the British Empire Medal for 42 years’ service to Translink.

Quinn, based in the Omagh District, joined NIFRS as an on-call firefighter in 1994. He was among the first responders to the Omagh bomb in August 1995 and later gave evidence to the Omagh Public Inquiry about his experience. He became a wholetime firefighter in 2000 and now has 32 years of service behind him.

Beyond operational duties, Quinn is a qualified Critical Incident Stress Management facilitator. Over the past five years he recruited, trained and mentored a team of 10 facilitators, extending stress support to more than 1,800 firefighters across NIFRS. He also serves as a volunteer Family Liaison Officer, offering practical and mental health support to bereaved NIFRS families.

Sam Todd is an on-call crew commander at Ballyclare Fire Station and has served NIFRS for 38 years. His medal specifically cites his 42-year career with public transport operator Translink.

Chief Fire & Rescue Officer Aidan Jennings said both awards were well deserved and praised the recipients’ professionalism and long-standing commitment.