A Spalding man has been thanked for nearly 21 years of firefighting in his spare time.
Rick Hare (48) has racked up more than two decades as a retained fire fighter with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue while also holding a full-time job.
The father of three and granddad to one currently also works as a section leader at Bakkavor as well as the on-call role which includes attending medical incidents.
Rick said: “It was something I always wanted to do.
“It was interesting to me as was being a part of the community and giving something back.
“It’s a job a genuinely love. I can genuinely say I’ve never not felt like going to work there in 20 years.
“You get massive satisfaction and huge respect from the community.”
Rick says he’s made friends for life from being a part of the fire service and describes them as “like a family”.
“The long service award is not really about me, it’s about everybody there,” he continues; “You have to work together.
“You do see difficult things. I can’t watch TV shows that have operations on them or things like that, but because of the training you get on with it and just have to get things done.”
Rick initially said he would do a five-year stint in the fire service, but he’s not about to give up any time soon.
“I’d certainly like to do 25 years now,” he said.
Assistant chief fire officer Dan Quinn presented the award and said: “20 years as an on call firefighter is a fantastic achievement and real commitment to the communities of Spalding.”
