Humberside firefighter Ian Johnson retires after hitting 50-year milestone

Ian Johnson, left, with chief fire officer Phil Shillito

A firefighter is retiring after becoming one of only a handful in the UK to chalk up 50 years of operational service.

Ian Johnson, 71, joined what would become Humberside Fire and Rescue Service on 1 October 1973.

He has spent the past 27 years as watch manager in Brough, East Yorkshire.

Among the thousands of incidents he attended was the 1974 Flixborough disaster in North Lincolnshire, which left 28 workers dead.

The Flixborough disaster of 1974 claimed 28 lives

Chief fire officer Phil Shillito said Mr Johnson was the first in the service's history to reach the milestone, with a service spokeswoman confirming to the BBC "only a handful" of UK firefighters could also lay claim to the achievement.

Recalling the events near Flixborough, when a massive vapour cloud exploded at the Nypro chemical plant, Mr Johnson said: "I remember being at home and heard a huge bang.

"I went outside and saw a large plume of smoke in the air across the Humber and decided it would be best to head to the station."

Mr Johnson said the incident lasted three weeks, adding "it was a year's worth of experience condensed".

Following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a watch manager at Brough fire station, Mr Johnson - then aged 21 - joined East Riding Fire Brigade six months before it became the present-day service.

His two brothers were firefighters, while his sister worked in the control room and his niece still works at the service's headquarters.

Mr Johnson said he had witnessed many changes, not least the equipment carried.

He recalled how in the Seventies firefighters would "carry half a dozen hacksaws" to deal with road traffic collisions.

"A Land Rover from Beverley fire station would come with some hydraulic equipment," Mr Johnson added.

A stock image of a 1970s firefighter

He said another major change had been the amount of prevention work firefighters now did, educating the public on fire safety, which he said had helped reduced the number of house fires.

Reflecting on his retirement, he said: "More than anything, I will miss the people and the service will always be a part of my life.

"It's the best job in the world and if anyone is thinking about joining, my advice would be, go for it."

Mr Shillito said: "Ian is the first person in the service's history to complete 50 years of service in an operational capacity. His commitment to safeguarding the local community has earned him the admiration and respect of all those fortunate enough to work alongside him."