A TAVISTOCK firefighter has received a special, commemorative award to mark over 40 years of service.

Tavistock-based David Valentine, 63, was presented with a medal for his significant service and conduct by Lee Howell, Chief of Somerset Fire and Rescue service last week at Tavistock fire station.

David has now served as a firefighter for a total of 46 years, beginning in the naval air command fire service when he left school and then joining the fire station in Tavistock in 1984 where he has now been for 36 years.

Upon receiving the award, David said: ‘It’s really nice to be appreciated by the community. Even on social media it’s great to see people you don’t know writing kind things about what you do and expressing their gratitude, especially after the length of time I’ve been a firefighter.’

David treasures many aspects of the job and is well-respected not only by the community but his colleagues too, espeically younger members who can draw on his invaluable knowledge and experience.

David said: ‘We get on so well as a team and we’ve dealt with many incidents. I was called to the Sydenham House blaze in 2012 and the Tavy Cleave moorland fire recently — fires on the moors aren’t uncommon. A difficult side to the job is seeing people whose lives have been devastated by fire. It’s compounded when homes or businesses don’t have insurance. Saving lives will always be the best part of the job though. It’s really nice to still be part of the team and fit enough to serve; I do this mostly to help the community now. It’s always been a huge part of my life.’

The biggest changes David has experienced in his years of service have been dealing with enhancements to technology and seeing greater public awareness of and education with fire safety measures. He credits people taking greater safety precautions to the reduction in the number of incidents that occur each year. David said: ‘When I first started, Tavistock had over 300 callouts a year, now we get less than 200. People are far more educated with things such as seatbelts, smoke alarms and utilising safety features on electronic devices. The technology we now have at our disposal is so much more advanced. Our engines are fitted with computers and we now have a new all terrain vehicle in Tavistock which is great for the moors.’

Going forward, although now semi-retired, David hopes to remain a firefighter and progress to mark 50 years of service — a feat which very few firefighters in the United Kingdom achieve.