Life As A Community Firefighter: My Local Fire Station Needs Me? (Charity Donation)

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Written to raise funds for the UK’s FIRE FIGHTERS’ CHARITY.                                                                                                                                                            Before the days of fitness tests, timed equipment carries and BMI measurements, community firefighters came in all sorts of different physical shapes, weights and sizes. Literally!

In fact, it seemed that, on JD’s station, the majority of serving hands were tough, hard-nosed, grizzly ‘old sweats’, who’d each already notched up at least a couple of decades putting the ‘wet stuff on the red stuff!’ They all seemed down-to-earth, no-nonsense, family types who’d got a solid trade ‘under their belts’ and had applied it to their wealth of knowledge and expertise in, what was termed back then as, ‘practical firemanship’. And that was what counted before proper policies and procedures ‘kicked in’ – an ability to show up on a regular basis, ‘muck in’ and work as part of a team, all striving to achieve a shared common cause – or so JD thought, until, that is, he was invited (mistakenly, as it turned out!) to a Veterans’ Christmas Dinner organised by one of his former Sub Officers! (3,750 words)

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ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS STORY (including costs) WILL BE DONATED TO THE UK’s FIRE FIGHTERS’ CHARITY – Registered in England and Wales (No. 1093387). Many thanks. 

When I joined the Fire Service as a Retained Fighter it was on the back of having come down from the ‘Dreaming Spires’ and waking up to the fact that I was never going to be capable of remaining there in any type of academic capacity, which, of course, is what I had worked towards for many years. And, even though I was deeply disappointed – more than I ever allowed myself to admit to anyone – I was able to justify this so-called ‘failure’ by convincing myself that I had done my level best, but that, ultimately, ‘I couldn’t put in, what God had left out!’ And it was no exaggeration to say that, to me, it felt as though I had slogged hard for years without getting very far! I had studied a number of Classical and non-European languages and had certainly made a lot of sacrifices in order to achieve – what I felt at the time – to be relatively little. For example, I had chosen libraries & reading rooms over pubs & night clubs – hard circuits and long runs over soft mattresses and short walks, protein shakes and vitamin supplements to drugs & alcohol and, most disappointingly (!), all-night study sessions working on memorising irregular verbs and their exact endings rather than enjoying ‘piss ups with my pals’ and going out ‘Raving’ to the music of The Happy Mondays! I had tried to join the Foreign Office, Civil Service and various other Uniformed Services, but had got nowhere! Even the University’s Army Careers’ Officer had gone out of his way to talk me ‘out’ of going to Sandhurst, as I think my application was ‘filed’ in his bin the second that I said ‘goodbye’ and closed the door of his interview room!…

7 reviews for Life As A Community Firefighter: My Local Fire Station Needs Me? (Charity Donation)

  1. Keenan –

    I couldn’t resist commenting. Well written!

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    • admin (verified owner) –

      Hey!

      Thank you, Jacquie! So kind.

      Please tell your friends about my website – on Google @ jdmorgan.co.uk

      I am also on Twitter @jdmorganstories. (DM Open)

      Best wishes and respect,

      JD

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    • admin (verified owner) –

      Thank you for your kind words!

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      Please tell your friends about my website – on Google @ jdmorgan.co.uk

      I am also on Twitter @jdmorganstories.

      Best wishes and respect,

      JD

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    • admin (verified owner) –

      Thank you for taking the time to comment!

      Please tell your friends and feel free to follow me on Twitter @jdmorganstories

      Also, on Google @ jdmorgan.co.uk

      Very kindly,

      JD Morgan

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    • admin (verified owner) –

      Thank you for taking the time to comment! I use WordPress & 123Reg.

      Please tell your friends and feel free to follow me on Twitter @jdmorganstories

      Also, on Google @ jdmorgan.co.uk

      Very kindly,

      JD Morgan

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