Firefighter - Tony Crabtree

I was born in 1973.  Although I’m originally from South Yorkshire I joined London Fire and Civil Defence Authority in 1994 aged 20 and started my career serving at Bethnal Green on the Blue watch.  In 1999 I transferred to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue service and after a brief introductory course started at Rivelin on the Blue watch moving from there to Lowedges Green watch, Darnall Green watch and back to Lowedges Blue watch.  For the last year I have been working at Command HQ.

The best part of the job is the adrenaline when you are on route to an incident and you know it’s a big one, although the most rewarding part of the job is knowing that you have just saved someone’s life either following a fire or an accident.  I have been to a lot of memorable incidents, the main ones being the Canary Wharf bombing in 1996 and Fletchers Bakery in 2006.

Crew Manager – Adrian Rosser

I started my career with SYFR on a Retained only contract at Rossington Station where I held the post for over 4yrs before joining Maltby as a wholetime firefighter in August 2001.

I enjoyed several years at Maltby before promotion to Crew Manager brought me to my current post at Doncaster on Blue Watch.

Approximately 2 years ago I re- joined the crew at Rossington this time on Dual contract.

Over the years I have been to many memorable incidents, some good, others bad, however the strangest occurred at Rossington where I was Officer in Charge of the 1^st pump in attendance at a well developed house fire.

We forced entry and two BA wearers went in and extinguished the fire (for one it was his first ever BA wearing outside training).  Doncaster crews arrived and rescued an unconscious male casualty from the kitchen to the rear of the property, unfortunately his wife did not survive and was found in the downstairs room in which she slept.

It was a tragic accident and there were no suspicious circumstances but as with all fatalities the Scene of Crimes Officers were sent to investigate and as a consequence I spent several hours at the property in close proximity to the lady who died.

This is an incident which I am unlikely to forget, not only because of the tragic circumstances but also because she died in the exact same room I was born in.

 Watch Manager – Claire Duke 

I joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 1992 when I became the first serving female firefighter.  I spent my first 6 years at Elm Lane station, including a six month spell at Darnall Road.  I was promoted to the role of Leading Firefighter (now Crew Manager) in 1999 at Edlington Station and later that year spent 6 months in the role of temporary Sub Officer (now Watch Manager) at headquarters in the Operational Support department.  At the end of 1999 I was promoted to Sub Officer at Mansfield Road station.  In 2002 I moved to the Training and Development Centre as an instructor in Incident Command before moving back to headquarters in 2004 to work in the Personnel department. I later moved to Barnsley District Community Fire Safety where I was temporary promoted to the role of Station Officer (now Watch Manager) where I worked within the community including working with our partners.  In 2006 I moved back to operations and worked at Brampton Fire station as the Watch Manager.  In 2008 I was temporary promoted to Watch Manager B and have spent the past 2 years at Rotherham Station.

Within the service I am trained to carry out ‘One to One’ work with young fire setters and I am also a qualified instructor for the LIFE courses we do working with young people.  I am involved with Equality and Diversity work within the organisation and I also chair one of the staff support groups.

I have attended many memorable incidents, some funny, some with happy endings, some very sad.  The hot summer of 1996 where we spent 6 weeks chasing fire after fire and the floods of 2007.

Working for this organisation is a very rewarding job.  You meet many people from all walks of life, make many friends and it’s a great feeling when you drive to work you don’t know what might happen that day and driving home you know that you have made a difference to someone elses life, whether it be from saving a life, working with a young person or making someone safer in their home.  There are so many different opportunities open to you in South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and I am proud to be part of it!

Station Manager – Simon Dillon

I have served in South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for 27 years.  My first posting was Barnsley, but soon moved to Doncaster when the then new Edlington Fire Station opened.  I spent 6 years learning my skills as a Fire fighter and Junior Officer there and at Adwick before being promoted to Throne as Leading Firefighter in 1989.  I spent the next 4 years or so doing temporary Sub Officer at Adwick and Training School.

I spent 4 years at Training School as a Sub Officer, responsible for the ISO Quality Assurance system as well as lecturing on Health and Safety, Media Relations and Management courses.

I then moved into CHQ for 2 1/2 years as the Brigade Health & Safety Officer.  After that, I had a short spell at Mexborough Station before taking a job in CFS as Station Officer based at Rotherham.  I then moved back to HQ to start an Arson Intervention Team, from that became Station Manager at Adwick.  I have since served in the role of SM in CFS, Barnsley, Tankersley, Royston and more recently taken over at the new Cudworth Station.

One of my most memorable incidents, for all the wrong reasons was turning up to a young chap trapped by his foot between the floor and a lift door in an old department store in Doncaster.  He had not put the mesh safety gate across and as the lift descended trapped his toes between the two.

It’s the only time I’m aware of when the ‘steel shod wedge’ has been used.  I was sent to get it off the ET and told to prize the lift car away from his toes.  Several of my colleagues were armed with blocks of wood etc to pack the gap as I moved the lift.  As I pulled on the huge wooden bar, the lift began to move; just as the wooden wedges were going to be put in, it slipped out and the lift car slammed back onto his foot.  A more glass shattering scream I had never heard and still haven’t.  As the lift slipped back into place, the young lad dragged his foot clean out of the shoe.  Several people looked away expecting his foot to look like that of a Hobbit.  Amazingly, he hadn’t been trapped at all, when the lift had descended onto his foot; he had scrunched his toes up so tightly that all it had done was trap his shoe.

We did away with ‘steel shod wedges’ not long after that.  I don’t think anyone has ever had the opportunity to use one for moving Railway lines as they were intended.

The moral of the story; pack as you jack!

Group Manager- Steve Makepeace

I joined South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue on the 20th October 1986 and after initial training I was posted to Thorne Fire Station where I spent two years before moving to Doncaster Fire station. I continued my development at Doncaster until being promoted to Leading Firefighter at Edlington and then Sub Officer at Mexborough.  My next move was into Headquarters working on the uniformed personnel team until I was promoted to Station Officer as the Community Safety Officer for Rotherham.

After about a year I was posted into Brigade Training Centre as a Senior Instructor where I enjoyed approximately three years including a spell as temporary Training Centre Manager.  The next move was back out onto operational duty as an Area Commander responsible for Adwick, Mexborough and Thorne Stations.  Following a restructure I moved to Darnall Station as Station Manager then to Thorne, Central and Rotherham Stations.  I was promoted to Group Manager and have worked as the District Manager for Sheffield East before taking up my current role as Head of Community Safety on the 1st September 2009.

The most enjoyable part of the job is being able to help people, returning home after rescuing people from a life threatening situation is a very satisfying feeling.

My most memorable incident is a car crash involving a group of teenagers who were very seriously injured, I remember thinking that one of them would not walk again following the incident.  Some months later a joyful young man ran past me on the street in Edlington, tapped me on the shoulder and shouted remember me?  To my surprise it was the young man that we had rescued from the wreckage and delivered to the paramedics.

Area Manager - Dave Kiddy

"I was born in 1960.  I have been a member of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue for 27 years.  I started my career as a serving Firefighter at Darnall Road.  I was then promoted to Leading Firefighter at Oaks Lane.  I was then posted to Barnsley as a Temporary Sub Officer and then permanently promoted to Maltby.  I then served as a Sub Officer at Doncaster, Training Centre and Central before being promoted to Station Officer in Training Centre. I then transferred to Central as a Station Officer.

"As a Station Manager I served at Training Centre, Ringinglow, Lowedges, Rivelin, Thorne, and Central.  I was the Group Manager responsible for the Rotherham District before being permanently promoted to Sheffield East as the District Manager.  I was a Temporary Area Manager responsible for Operational Standards and Safety before being permanently promoted as the Head of Emergency Response which is my current role.  The most rewarding part of the job is just being part of a great organisation dedicated to making South Yorkshire a safer place to live and work and also meeting some great people.

"My most memorable incident would have to be National Carriers (Brightside Lane).  I was a recruit with 18 months service and undertook every task in the book on that day.  It is still listed as one of the largest insurance losses for a single fire."