Firefighter

“They used to say to me that I had to be like a man to do the job, but I had higher aspirations than that.” Sian Griffiths, retired London firefighter. You can read more of her story here, in a Telegraph article by Jaymi McCann.

You can see the whole piece here.

The square was cut from the book Firefighter by Tim Wood. Published in 1988 by Franklin Watts. The photograph is by Chris Fairclough.

The photographs in the book were mainly taken at Beckenham Fire Station, which is local to me. Please see comments below for information about Andy Bell, the young firefighter in the picture.

This year, London is celebrating 150 years of the Fire Brigade. Thank you to the firefighters. I have only had two close dealings with the fire service. Impeccable both times.

This is another battered book given to me by a school librarian, who would prefer to remain anonymous.