A LEOMINSTER fire fighter has offered a unique perspective on life in the brigade.

And he’s in a good place to do so – Alan Allmark is currently working as a retained fire fighter in Leominster while balancing shifts as a whole time watch manager in London.

The 42-year-old moved to the county last November with his wife and their five children and, instead of taking things easy on his days off from being watch manager at Royal Park Fire Station, Mr Allmark decided to join Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service as a retained fire fighter.

He said: "Being a fire fighter is a bit more of a vocation than a career. You wouldn’t do it for the money. I really do love being a fire fighter and as an officer in London you feel that you have got a lot to give.

"The team in Leominster has been really helpful taking me through the fitness tests. Because I've been an officer for so long it means I haven't necessarily been maintaining the same level of fitness. I tend to be in charge of incidents rather than the one wearing breathing apparatus."

Mr Allmark's career started as a police officer in the West Midlands back in 1997 after he completed his masters degree.

"Not long after joining I realised it wasn’t right for me. I was after the kind of role the fire fighters took at the incident,” he said.

“Where I was directing traffic I wanted to be involved in releasing people or where I was putting a cordon in place at a fire, I wanted to be climbing up the ladder. I thought about it for a while and took the opportunity for a transfer into the fire brigade in Hertfordshire in January 1999."

He has served in a whole time role in four brigades, joining the London Fire Brigade in Willesden just under 10 years ago.

During his career Mr Allmark has been on some major incidents – including the Hatfield rail crash in 2000 – but said the ones that stick in his mind, as a parent himself, are those involving children.

London incidents tend to be much more high-density, with a large amount of social housing and a culturally diverse population, he said.

But Herefordshire's rural nature is equally challenging, with a higher number of high-speed crashes on country roads.

For him, and so many others that dedicate their lives to serving in the brigade, it is well worth it.

"I think there’s a definite sense of satisfaction when you have helped somebody," he said.

"There’s generally quite positive vibes from the public too – it is quite a trusted and respected profession."

Mr Allmark said Leominster residents, the town's Priory Church, and his new colleagues in the county have been incredibly welcoming.

"It's also important to stress that, from the fire brigade's point of view, retained fire fighters are essential to ensuring massive areas of the country are covered," he added.

Leominster Fire Station is still looking for retained fire fighters and anyone interested in joining can call at the station on a Wednesday night at 7pm to meet the crew and watch commander Martin Greenhouse.