Hertfordshire fire crews pay tribute to retiring Garston firefighter (From Watford Observer)

Hertfordshire fire crews pay tribute to retiring Garston firefighter

4:40pm Friday 27th November 2009

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The sound of bagpipes filled Garston fire station today as firefighters formed a guard of honour for a colleague who is retiring after more than 30 years with Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue.

Lee Bishop, green watch commander at the station in St Albans Road, battled the Buncefield oil blaze four years ago and was among crews who tackled the fire at Windsor Castle in 1992.

The father-of-two, from High Street, Rickmansworth, said: “It's hard work on old bones. You think you're still young and don't feel your age but it can take its toll.”

Lee, 50, joined the fire service in February 1978 when he was posted to the former Watford Fire Station in Rickmansworth Road.

He spent four-and-a-half years with white watch before joining green watch at Garston Fire Station, in St Albans Road, in 1991.

Lee also worked for Rickmansworth white watch and returned to Garston with white watch before working as a breathing apparatus instructor at the Hertfordshire fire service training school in Stevenage.

He returned to full-time service with blue watch at Borehamwood and later served with Watford white watch and Rickmansworth blue watch before spending the past six-and-a-half years with green watch at Garston.

Lee said he was inspired to join the fire service by his uncle, who was a firefighter in Watford and Rickmansworth.

He said: “As a kid I used to go to parties at the fire station. I wanted something that was a bit varied and something that had the potential to be exciting. It was quite regimented when I joined and I like that set way of working that had the potential to be different every day. I made a few enquiries and here I am.

“It's time to retire because I don't think there's much more I haven't done.”

It was during his first spell with Rickmansworth that he helped battle the fire that engulfed Windsor Castle.

He was also called to the Potters Bar, Watford and Hatfield rail crashes, and spent more than 30 days battling flames at Buncefield, the largest fire in peacetime Europe.

Lee, who grew up in South Oxhey, said: “You get to a point where there's still the adrenalin rush and excitement and satisfaction of doing a good job but there's getting less and less different stuff because of all the experience I have had over the years.”

In retirement, Lee will join Leesway, the family coach business his father began in 1961, and is looking forward to spending time with his two daughters, Leah, 20, and Danielle 25. He also plans to improve his golf handicap.

Asked which his proudest moments are from a career spanning almost 32 years, he said: “Any time when you know you've done a good job. There are times when you're coming back from somewhere and collecting your thoughts and you know everything went as it should have done.

“There's an enormous sense of job satisfaction. Equally there's no job satisfaction if you haven't got there in time and people have lost their lives. That's quite disheartening but you have to pick yourself up and try and do it better next time.”

Garston station commander Martin Dawe paid tribute to Lee. He said: “I have known Lee virtually all of my career and we have worked together for a considerable number of years. He's got fire brigade printed through him like a stick of rock.

"He's a hugely talented individual, particularly in the operational field. I know he enjoyed his time at training school but here he's brought a number of talents to the fore.

“I will miss him. He's a very amusing fellow. He's not hot on the admin but on the fire ground you can trust him to get the job done and done well.”

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