Bravery Awards: Officers recognised for rescuing children and parents from house fire

16 January 2024

Two West Midlands police officers who rescued three children and their parents from a house fire have won a bravery award.

PC Mollie Jackson and PC Soni Pattar were described as ‘genuine heroes’ after pulling the family to safety from a house fire in the Willenhall area of Coventry.

Now they have been recognised for their actions with a West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Award.

The officers were the first emergency services on the scene in January last year.

They arrived to find a woman with three small children shouting for help from an upstairs bedroom window, while the fire was in the downstairs kitchen. The house was filling with smoke and visibility was extremely poor.

Without hesitation, the officers ran upstairs, found the children, who were upset and distressed, picked them up and went back downstairs and out to safety, guiding their mum as they went.

Sergeant Danielle Hawley, who nominated them for the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Award, said: “The officers communicated with the family, and in particular the children, throughout, and after they saved them from the address, reassured them and made them feel safe.

“The officers assisted ambulance staff who were struggling to keep them calm while they were trying to assess them for injury.

“The officers did not know how severe the fire was, they did not know the layout of the address, but without hesitation for their own safety and without any protective equipment, they have without a doubt saved this family from what could have resulted in tragic circumstances.”

She added: “They did an amazing job and without a doubt saved lives.

“However, they came back into the office, massively played it down and made a cup of tea for everyone else. They are diamonds and they thoroughly deserve the recognition for this job.”

Mollie said: “It’s very nice to win the award.

“It’s what anyone would have done in that situation. Anyone would have ran in and got them out.”

Soni added: “I’m honoured to win the award. While it’s really nice to be recognised, we don’t do it for recognition. It’s our job and we just do it.”

Mollie and Soni will be the first recipients of the Coventry area Bravery Award, which is sponsored by George Burrows.

It will be presented at West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards, which are sponsored by Slater & Gordon Solicitors.

The awards take place on Wednesday 31 January at the Tally Ho Conferencing and Banqueting Centre in Edgbaston.

There are seven awards based on the geographical area of the Force - Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

One of the seven winners will go forward as West Midlands Police Federation’s nomination at the National Bravery Awards in London in July.

An eighth award, the Sam Hughes Award, will recognise an officer who has been an inspiration to or assisted others in the face of personal adversity.

The award is named after West Midlands Police Federation deputy chair Sam Hughes, who died last year aged 53.

READ MORE: Officer sprayed with PAVA on third day in the job wins Walsall area Bravery Award.