RETAINED firefighters in Okehampton were honoured at a special awards ceremony in Exeter this week, for their ?professional actions? in rescuing nine pigs trapped in a slurry pit. The rescue took place at Blagrove Farm near Germansweek last February and was a delicate operation for the firefighters, as all nine sows were pregnant. The sows had fallen through concrete slats in a barn into a slurry pit and the farmer had contacted the fire service after he was unable to rescue them. Station officer Ian Donovan said: ?It was a very difficult operation. Four firefighters put on dry suits and protective equipment and went into the pit and rounded up the sows into one corner. ?The crew then put slings on the sows and used a winch to bring all nine to safety. ?It was made difficult because of the conditions, the location and the depth of the slurry and it took around three to four hours to get them out.? Okehampton firefighters were awarded a Chief Officer?s Letter of Congratulation at the Devon Fire and Rescue Service presentation ceremony at Powderham Castle, Exeter last Tuesday night.
Two Hatherleigh firefighters were also among those awarded Long Service and Good Conduct medals for 20 years? service. Sub-officer Kevin Drew and leading firefighter Terry Reynolds were presented with their awards at the event. The two men signed up for the service around the same time, 22 years ago. Kevin said he had seen a number of changes in the fire service in that time. ?They are trying to make it more family friendly than it used to be. There have been a lot of changes in the equipment too, much of which has made the job a lot safer than it used to be,? he said.