AN emergency operator who answered a call from a man trapped in a fierce blaze has received a special award for her calm reassurance. Alison Loades was on duty as an operator for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service when she answered the 999 call from the man trapped in his burning flat.

The 51-year-old man was one of three residents trapped as the blaze ripped through homes in Bockingham Green, on the Felmores estate in Pitsea, in November last year.

The man was struggling to breathe due to the build-up of toxic smoke.

But, using her specialist training, Alison – who could hear windows smashing throughout the call because of the intense heat of the blaze – managed to keep the man calm. She kept him on the phone for ten minutes, helping to keep him safe until firefighters could reach him, and passing fire crews vital information about his whereabouts.

The resident, who did not want to be named, said of Alison: “I didn’t know who I was speaking to, but she was getting me to give her directions and get me to be as exact as possible, which helped to keep me focused.

“It was a situation where lots of people did amazing things that night – the police evacuated everyone, the fire service contained the fire and the paramedics treated people.

“This award is well deserved, and I’m glad something good came out of the fire and that this woman has been recognised for what she did.”

Station officer Gary Hastings, of Basildon’s blue watch, who was the initial officer in charge of bringing the Felmores fire under control, said: “If it wasn’t for the professional manner and calmness of Alison, reassuring and advising the occupant until the arrival of the first appliance, the outcome would, I’m sure, have been very different.”

Chief fire officer David Johnson added: “It is thanks to her professionalism crews at the scene were able to execute such a swift rescue before anyone was injured.”

Alison 42, from Brentwood, has been an emergency call operator for 22 years. She said: “We worked as a team, it wasn’t just me who helped the residents that night, but it’s nice to get recognition.

“You never know what call is going to come in from one minute to the next, you just deal with it but it does hit you afterwards. I had to play that call back to write a report, and that’s when it really hit me. He was a very lucky chap.”

The fire, which happened on November 13 last year, started after vandals torched a dumped sofa. 90 people were evacuated.