FIREFIGHTERS from North Tawton have paid tribute to the commitment and dedication of a colleague who died last month.

A memorial service for Mark Seaton will be held next Wednesday (August 20) at Culverhayes, Sampford Courtenay, at 2.30pm. Fellow firefighters will be attending and members of the public who knew Mark are welcome to attend.

Mark, who was 40, joined the North Tawton fire crew in 1989 and was last year made leading firefighter with responsibility for training recruits to the service.

Station officer Twiggy Lake said Mark?s death came as a shock to everyone and had left a massive hole in the life of the fire station.

Twiggy said: ?Mark was so committed to the fire service. The time and dedication he put into training the youngsters and bringing them up to speed was incredible. If somebody had a problem he would put himself out to help.?

Twiggy said Mark had a great sense of pride in working as a firefighter: ?Mark had a responsibility to the community. He was always proud of his role in knowing the community was safe at night.

?He was a loveable character on the station,? added Twiggy, ?Mark would have made a good sub-officer or station commander.?

Group commander Ally MacDonald described Mark as being ?totally committed to everything he did? and someone who always gave his all.

Mark twice led the station in the British National Extrication Championship, which test firefighters? rescue skills in simulated emergency situations.

Group commander MacDonald said for a small retained station like North Tawton to be representing Devon twice at such a prestigious national event was a great achievement.

The five-man team led by Mark had been due to compete at the championships for a third time, in Nottingham in a few weeks, but had pulled out in respect to Mark.

In addition to being a retained firefighter Mark was a self-employed tree surgeon, who had trained at Kew Gardens and maintained the hanging baskets throughout Exeter. Twiggy said Mark?s knowledge of plants and trees was ?phenomenal?.

Twiggy said although Mark originally came from London, he hated noise and loved the peace of the quiet countryside around North Tawton.

Mark, who lived in North Tawton, with his wife and three children, died on Friday, July 25.