Fireman stands down

A 27-YEAR love affair with the fire service ended, appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day when Heathfield's senior firefighter hung up his hosereel for the last time and retired.

Sub-Officer John Field (above) completed his final shift at midnight last night (Thursday). John, who has been SO at Heathfield for nine years and was based in the town throughout his career, has been involved in fighting some of the biggest fires in Sussex over the past 30 years.

He was among those mobilised to Brighton in October 1984 when the Grand Hotel was bombed by the IRA during the Conservative Party conference. He was also on duty when the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne caught fire. He also remembers 'practically living' in Ashdown Forest during the summer of 1976, when a heatwave led to a number of huge forest fires. But it was the floods of 2000, when John and his colleagues worked round the clock to help victims in Uckfield and Lewes, that was probably his greatest challenge.

He said: 'The one thing I won't miss is all the paperwork. But I will miss the cameraderie. And for 27 years I have been on call 24 hours a day. The alert on your belt controls your life. That has all changed now.'

Firefighter Geoff Wicker takes over as the new sub-officer. L07045