Burford firefighter awarded British Empire Medal
Burford on-call firefighter Steve Edginton has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the latest King’s Honours list for his dedication to the town’s residents over more than forty years.
Steve was born in Burford, moved away as a child before returning at the age of 18 to build his own house.
He says he "reluctantly" joined the fire and rescue service in September 1980 but now could not see himself being anything other than an on-call firefighter.
Steve explains: "Back in the 80s there was a relative shortage of local people available to the service, so I thought I’d do my bit for my local community and joined up, thinking little about it. Now, forty four years later, I look back with pride and can say without a doubt it was the best decision I ever made.
Speaking about being awarded the British Empire Medal, Steve said:
“This is such an unexpected honour. I’m an on-call firefighter because I love the role, the responsibility, the opportunity to meet people and to play my part in keeping them safe, and because of the camaraderie among the crew at Burford Fire Station.
“I share this honour with my wife Sue who has always been tremendously supportive and has got used to me being whisked away to deal with a call.
“When we enjoy a quiet evening together or when we go out locally for an evening meal, we know our plans could be disrupted at any moment by my emergency pager. We’ve come to accept these ‘no notice’ interruptions, but I am, and always will be grateful for the understanding from Sue.”
Steve has responded to hundreds of calls, saving lives at many accidents and during other emergency incidents, but he remembers one major incident in particular, the day the local Bull Hotel caught fire in the 1980s.
“My wife and I had just arrived back home from holidaying in Cornwall, so I wasn’t even on the on-call rota. But hearing the commotion outside, I leaped into action, reporting to the duty officer at the scene. It was personal too; my wife’s manager and his children lived above the hotel.
“The fire completely gutted the building but thankfully no lives were lost. An incident so close to home makes you appreciate the role of fire and rescue and why I do what I do as an on-call officer.”
Rob MacDougall, Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service’ Chief Fire Officer, said: “Steve has delivered a first-class service to the community of Burford for over 40 years. He is a fantastic role model, and this honour is a fitting tribute to his dedication.”
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