Hadleigh part-time fireman Tony Faulkner retires after 24 years of service

A part-time Suffolk firefighter has bid an emotional goodbye to the service he has supported for the last 24 years.

Tony Faulkner retired from Hadleigh Fire Station on August 31.

A self-employed builder, the 64-year-old felt the time was right to hang up his helmet after years of dedication – in order to concentrate on his main job.

Contracted by the Suffolk Fire Service to provide 120 hours on-call cover a week, over the last 24 years, colleagues said he will be 'difficult if not impossible to replace'.

In his time with the service, Tony has, on average, been called out around 140 times a year. During his duty hours, and when his pager goes off, he would have to stop what he was doing, wherever he was, and head to Hadleigh Fire Station to find out what his next emergency call was. All 11 fireman at the station are part-time.

“It could be anything from a major fire to an automatic fire alarm going off, or even a cat stuck up a tree. You would never know until you got to the station,” said Tony, who lives in Hadleigh.

“When I was on duty, I would have the pager permanently with me, even by the side of the bed at night, and getting used to life without it is very strange.

“People say you do get used to it, but I still find myself even now tapping my hip to see if it’s there.”

Tony joined the service originally after being invited to help out by two friends.

In a Facebook post, on his leaving, fellow crew members, said: “It’s hard to imagine that any on-call firefighter in Suffolk has provided more hours of cover over the last 24 years than Tony. Consistently achieving more than 120 per cent of his contracted 120 hours per week, we’ll let you do the maths.”

Tony remembers two incidents particularly during his time with the service. Firstly, a fire at Primo Manufacturing in Lady Lane Industrial Estate and, secondly, a major fuel tanker fire.

“We were among a good number of engines attending the fuel tanker fire,” he said.

“Three fuel tankers were on fire and our job was to let them burn and protect the storage tanks, at a safe distance. If they had blown, it would have woken a lot of people that night.”

Tony, who is married to Wendy, 62, and has two daughters, Rebecca, 32, and Nicola, 31, says he will miss the team at the station.

“The team presented me with a mounted axe and a certificate, and it was very emotional,” he said. “The best thing about working there was the teamwork, the camaraderie, and the banter.”

Tony is continuing his main job in the construction industry, with a focus on landscaping, patios, driveways and garden walls.

“Building has always been my main career and I will continue in that for a good few years yet,” he said.

“I just felt that, at my age, one of the roles had to go and, sadly, it was the fire service, of which I have very fond memories.”

The team at Hadleigh Fire Station, which has one fire engine, added: “Tony will be difficult if not impossible to replace, and all this while running his own business.

"All the crew wish Tony all the best in his retirement and thank him for his dedication and service.”