23/04/13….Thame firefighter honoured for 20 years service

WATCH Manager at Thame fire station, Andy Ford, this evening received one of the biggest surprises of his life when he accepted a request to attend the Thame Annual Town meeting to answer the public’s questions about the fire service.

But the whole thing was a setup. After delivering his annual report, the Mayor of Thame revealed the true purpose of Andy’s presence at the meeting, possibly the best kept secret ever of the crew of Thame fire station, and presented him with his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal on behalf of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service after 20 years of service.

Andy was obviously taken completely by surprise and was, for once, almost lost for words, though he did manage to thank the Mayor and to say how much he appreciated having his service recognised.

In thanking Andy for his long, distinguished service, the Mayor recalled a particular incident at the scene of a car crash when Andy single-handedly fought a car fire and rescued a trapped driver while his colleagues kept the flames away from the driver’s position.

As his colleagues stood amused at the back of the hall looking very pleased with their plotting, Watch Manager Andy Ford, made it very clear that they hadn’t heard the last of this matter. Knowing the good-natured teasing and banter that goes on between Thame fire officers, I have a feeling that ‘getting one over’ on their boss might be a short-lived victory.