A FIREFIGHTER who has served a village and wider community for 30 years is finally hanging up his boots and helmet.

On-call fireman Dave Pascoe, 65, joined Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service in 1990 and in the 30 years since says he has tackled every conceivable kind of fire and incident.

Serving with his local station at Fownhope throughout, Mr Pascoe was encouraged to join the fire service by friends and attended thousands of jobs over the years, including a fire at Hereford United Football Club.

Life has always been hectic as Dave has fitted firefighting round his fulltime day job as a team leader with Avara Foods in Hereford, where he has worked for just short of 40 years.

Ahead of retirement, he said: "You never knew what to expect and it's an unpredictable world.

"I've really enjoyed it even though some of the fires I attended were very big, and since Fownhope station is closest to Hereford, we're the first appliance to be called in when extra appliances are needed.

"One of the biggest fires I dealt with was at the Hereford United Football Ground in 1995 when the Sportsman Club was destroyed in an arson attack.

"When we got into the building to tackle the fire we had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen – difficult to define but somehow the crackling noise sounded 'different – we got back out really fast and seconds later the ceiling caved in.

"Perhaps it was experience or a firefighter's instinct."

Other callouts had their funny side, though, as Mr Pascoe and the rest of the crew were left puzzled when a fire seemingly wasn't being affected by efforts to extinguish it.

"Another time in Fownhope itself, just near the fire station, we got called to a house where the living room fireplace had got out of control," he added.

"We were spraying at the fire and couldn't understand why it wasn't going out. Eventually we realised that there was a glass screen in front of the fireplace that we couldn't see in the smoke, and it was blocking the water.

"Fortunately we got the fire out at last.

Awarded the Queen's Long Service and Good Conduct Medal after 20 years of service, Dave does not plan to slow down for a while as he intends to carry on with park runs and enjoy some well earned holidays.

Thanking Mr Pascoe for his long service, west district cluster manager Adrian Thompson said: "Dave has given dedicated service during his 30 year firefighting career, saving lives and property on countless occasions.

"That he has done this alongside a busy fulltime job and family life, like all on-call firefighters, is even more creditable.

"We wish him and his family the best of luck and success in the new challenges he'll undoubtedly take on."