Fire chief retiring after 25 years to become musician
A Staffordshire fire chief has retired after 25 years to become a musician.
Toby Wilson was one of the longest-serving Group Managers at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
He rose through the ranks after joining the service in 1994 as a firefighter.
But he now he will go on to fulfil his dream of becoming a musician which has previously taken a back seat.
Mr Wilson said: "One of the highlights of my career was working with other partners to run Exercise Triton back in 2013.
"This was a live play major dam breach exercise which took place in real time for four full days.
"It was immensely complex with live play involving the Royal Air Force, Air Sea Rescue, the military and many other agencies across multiple sites within the county.
"I remember the relief when it all finished. It had taken two years to plan and we managed to get it done.”
He added: “I think that one of the most bizarre incidents that I went on involved the ‘rescue’ of a person seen subsurface in the river quite near to where I live.
"It was a huge operation, miles down a muddy track in the depth of winter.
"After several hours of searching, our water rescue teams eventually fished out a plastic shop manikin dressed in a high-visibility jacket. It was like a storyline from Only Fools and Horses."
