Mick's Muses's

Apart from the first three years when I left school at 15, I have been a firefighter all my career, first in the County Borough of West Ham and then as a member of the London Fire Brigade when the Greater London Council was created in 1965. I was allowed to join three days before I was legally supposed to on my 18th birthday but rules could be more easily bent in those days. I finally retired 42 years later and believe that I may have been the  longest serving member of the fire service at that time. The latter years of my career were in a non-operational capacity due to age and eyesight.

I found my entire career to be a rich and rewarding experience where I attended many types of incident, not only fires but also many special services and a number of disasters. I have always felt acutely aware that what may have been run of the mill tasks for me,  were at the same time, often  major upheavals in life, sometimes tragic, for those who required assistance from the fire service.

With the passage of time, major incidents start to fade from the memory of man. One such incident that occurred on my own fire stations ground was a tower block of flats, (apartments), named Ronan Point which partially collapsed. For several decades just the name Ronan Point would conjure up memories to any UK resident. Now forty years later “Ronan what?” is a more likely response.

Some incidents however caused much amusement to my colleagues and I many which I still recall. I trust I will be able to share with you all.

Filed under: Firefighting Stories | Tagged: disaster, Firefighting stories, firemen, London Fire Brigade, Ronan Point, tragedy, tragic, West Ham Fire Brigade |