Burford firefighter tells his story after been awarded the British Empire Medal

Burford on-call firefighter Steve Edginton shares his story after 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:

"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.”

Unexpected honour

“The British Empire Medal 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.”

Bull Hotel fire

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.”

Becoming an on-call firefighter

Further information about becoming an Oxfordshire on-call firefighter, like Steve, is available on our website.

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