Off-duty firefighter rushes from family meal to stop bedroom fire
An off-duty firefighter has been commended for his exemplary actions after he left a family meal to stop a fire in Staffordshire.
Watch manager Simon England had been enjoying a break with his wife on August 6 in Rugeley when he spotted a blaze nearby.
Without hesitation he sprinted to the scene, jumping a large gate into a farmer's field – and running through nettles – in order to get to the back of the building.
The occupiers had already got out upon hearing their smoke alarm sounding and had been on the phone to the fire service when he arrived.
Simon made sure everyone was out of the building before going upstairs and closing all of the doors. They had been left open because of the hot temperatures on the day, allowing smoke and heat to spread through each room.
He spoke to the control room and told them of his actions. By closing off the bedroom, it was now a self-ventilated compartment fire which helped crews from Cannock and Lichfield to formulate a plan on route and safely extinguish the blaze.
They used two breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet to extinguish a chair and other furnishings which had caught fire in the bedroom. They had ignited accidentally as a result of intense sunlight which was glaring through the window.
Simon stayed at the scene and gave fire crews a briefing before calmly returning to his wife for a well-deserved sit-down.
He said: “This just goes to show how important smoke alarms are. No one would’ve known about this fire until it began to escalate out of control.
“I’m glad that I was able to assist with the initial response and help reduce the damage to the property. The occupiers did the right thing by evacuating immediately and ringing the fire service as soon as it was safe to do so.
“It’s a perfect example of why it is so important to test your smoke alarms regularly and make sure doors and windows inside your property can be fully closed.
“This incident happened by accident and would’ve escalated if the fire alarms did not actuate. Thankfully, we were there to help put a stop to it before it caused widespread damage.”
As a result of his selfless actions, Simon was recently nominated for the Chief Fire Officer’s (CFO) Commendation award by Station Manager Rich Williams.
“I have no doubt that Simon’s actions were crucial in mitigating the damage caused to the property and ensuring the occupiers escaped unharmed,” said SM Williams.
“He put the safety of others before his own and has shown that he is prepared to protect our communities 365 days a year.
“Hopefully he doesn’t have to dash off again the next time he’s out enjoying some well-earned down time.”
CFO Barber has since presented Simon with a certificate in front of his watch team at Rugeley Fire Station on Monday.
