A man who set up anti-arson patrols and a scheme that helped fit more than 4,000 smoke alarms to homes around the county has been named in the New Year Honours list.

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service volunteer manager Roy Aldwin was made an MBE for his “outstanding track record” of services to the voluntary sector in Hertfordshire.

Mr Aldwin managed more than 110 volunteers who dedicated 10,000 hours a year to keep communities safe and support vulnerable people while working for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Trading Standards.

He established and managed the fire and rescue service’s community safety volunteer scheme, which helped to reduce the number of deliberate fires with the use of anti-arson patrols.

Community volunteers also helped fire crews provide home safety advice, including fitting over 4,000 smoke alarms in hard to reach and vulnerable communities.

Mr Aldwin, who left the fire service in May after 14 years, also introduced a 24/7 volunteer emergency response team for victims of fires and floods and managed the central community safety team, serving as lead manager for road safety.

He also completed 20 years’ service with Hertfordshire Special Constabulary as county community safety manager and later crime reduction manager. He was first in the county to introduce a ‘no cold calling zone’ that resulted in a 68 per cent drop in incidents after a spate of doorstep crime.

On receiving the honour, Mr Aldwin said: “It came through in a very formal-looking brown envelope which I thought was from the tax office, but when I saw it was from the Cabinet Office I was absolutely gobsmacked! It took a long while for it to sink in, but I am absolutely delighted and really humbled.

“I’d like to dedicate it to all the volunteers I have worked with over the last 20 years, from my work with the fire volunteers to the Special Constabulary and all the other community groups I’ve managed.

“You go through life wondering whether you’ve done the right thing – in some ways a lot of my volunteering work was to the detriment of my career – but to get this honour makes it all so worthwhile.”

Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s director for community protection and Chief Fire Officer Darryl Keen said: “Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue service are immensely proud of Roy, whose MBE is so richly deserved in recognition of his many years of hard, diligent and dedicated work for voluntary services.

“Roy’s unstinting dedication to providing outstanding volunteer support and setting up successful initiatives will continue to have positive impacts for the fire service and local communities for years to come. We are extremely fortunate to have had Roy as a colleague and wish him many congratulations on receiving this prestigious award.”

Mr Aldwin served with the fire and rescue service from January 2007 on secondment from Herts Police and was the lead manager for the Arson Task Force and to advise HFRS on partnership working. In 2008 he set up the HFRS Volunteer Scheme but remained on secondment from the police until 2012 when he transferred to the fire service.

He was the service's Employee of the Year 2009, runner-up in The Guardian Public Service Awards 2011 and received an Outstanding Contribution to Volunteering award from Hertfordshire County Council in 2017.

He was also the first in the UK to set up a job finders club at a fire station to help individuals seek employment by providing job hunting advice, coaching on CV writing and interview skills. Over 550 people attended the sessions, with 20 per cent gaining employment as a direct result.

Mr Aldwin, who has been a trustee or director of several charities over the last 30 years, including Victim Support Hertfordshire, where he was involved in witness liaison and support for victims of domestic violence.

He now lives in Chorley, Lancashire with his wife Alison and two daughters, Jessica, 28, and Fiona, 23.