Fire rescue police couple put up for bravery award
BBCHusband and wife police officers have been nominated for a bravery award after saving the lives of a married couple in a house fire while off duty.
PC Mark Sigley and Det Con Katy Sigley were shortlisted for the national award following the blaze on Baswich Lane in Stafford in June 2023.
They were driving home when they spotted smoke coming from a house and forced entry.
They found a woman downstairs and helped reassure a man trapped upstairs while they waited for firefighters to arrive.
"I think we both went into automatic mode at that time," Mrs Sigley said.
"At the time it didn't feel like it was a big deal. It was something that I'd do again in a heartbeat.
"If we came across a similar situation, there's no way I'd do anything differently."
The couple had forced open the front door of the house after calling 999, while the garage of the property was completely engulfed in flames.
The Sigleys alerted nearby neighbours to leave their houses as the fire began to blow in their direction.
The man inside the house was later taken to hospital for smoke inhalation. Both he and his wife have since recovered from the incident.
"We're lucky because we're both in the police, so we can bounce off each other when we need to," Mr Sigley said.
"We know if somebody needs time [after incident], probably a little bit more than if somebody wasn't married to someone that's in the job."
Mr and Mrs Sigley are among 70 officers and a police dog shortlisted for the Police Bravery Awards in July, which recognise extraordinary acts of courage by those on the front line.
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