'I joined the fire service after witnessing the Hillsborough disaster - now I'm retiring with pride'
A Shropshire fire chief who was inspired to join the brigade after witnessing the Hillsborough stadium disaster has hung up his helmet.
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Assistant Chief Fire Officer Guy Williams retired on August 31 after 30 years of service.
Guy, who first joined the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2003, began his career in 1995 at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service after spending four years applying all over the country.
He wanted to become a firefighter after witnessing the 1989 tragedy in Sheffield at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in which 97 people died and 766 were injured.
He said: “I always wanted to do something community-based, which goes back to being a young lad at Hillsborough. I just wanted to make some sort of positive contribution, so it motivated me to get involved.”
Guy spent eight years with White Watch in Stafford where he attended countless incidents on the M6 motorway and attended some 14 calls a day.
In 2003 Guy joined Shropshire's fire brigade as a firefighter in Telford and worked his way up the ranks to his current role.
During his time in Shropshire he has been sent out to some of the largest fires in the county including the 2013 blaze at Grinshill Wood. More than 60 firefighters attended the fire which potentially could have wiped out an entire village of properties. The area was saved thanks to the hard work of crews.
