WHEN John Hoggarth was a young man working as a panel beater in Frizington Motors, he thought it would be good idea to serve his community.

The fire station was next door so that seemed like a good place to start. Thirty-six years and hundreds of call outs later there is no doubt how well he has served his community.

John, 58, of Arlecdon, has now hung up his helmet. After nearly four decades on call, while also holding down a full-time job, he’s looking forward to no longer being at the mercy of his pager.

This will be the first Christmas in more than 30 years that he has not been on call.

But the father of two and grandfather of four has a whole lot of memories and mates as a result of his time with Frizington Fire Station.

“When I started out I was working in the garage next door and the boss would let me go when my pager went.

“I worked there for 20 years before the company moved to Lillyhall," said John, who now drives a wagon.

“You can never predict when it’s going to happen. This year is probably the busiest I can remember for a long time, they’re averaging two a week at present.”

Over the years he has been called to a huge range of incidents, from wheelie bin fires to horrific car crashes and nightclub blazes.

As well as the call outs, there has been weekly drill. “Every three years we do blue light training and every year we do breathing apparatus training in confined spaces, “ said John, who is married to Anne.

There are 12 men in the team, all prepared to rush out the door at the drop of a hat.

“It’s a big commitment, being called at all hours. Sometimes you can be out all night and then have to go to work the next day. It can really impact on family life,” said John.

But there’s no doubt he’ll miss firefighting life. “I will miss the crack and crew, the camaraderie and black humour,” said John. “You train, work and fight as a team. Everyone has each other’s backs.”

The crew has a great range of skills between them. “There are electricians, plumbers, car mechanics, all with different skill sets,” said John. “Between us we can do everything.

“The crew are my mates, I will miss the excitement of jobs. You turn up with the blue lights and red truck and give it your best shot.”

There will be a formal presentation in the future.

The crew posted on Facebook: “After 36 years service, man and boy, we say thank you and good bye to part of the Frizington furniture – Firefighter John Hoggarth.

“Thanks for the service and friendship over the years John, you’ll be a miss.”