Originally from Jersey in the Channel Islands, Luke has been an On-Call firefighter at Peterchurch Fire Station for five years. He came over to the mainland when he was 16, to play rugby at college, stayed as a lecturer for 8 years, then became a Wholetime firefighter with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. Luke has two young children at the local school and his wife runs a riding school.
He said “I have always had a passion for firefighting since being a child. Whilst at school I was lucky enough to carry out work experience at the airport fire station, and that gave me an initial interest in becoming a firefighter. I always wondered when the truck went past, where they were going and what kind of incident they were going to.
“Many attributes of playing rugby bounce over into work: working as a team to achieve that end goal, you have to be there for each other, and that’s exactly the same as it is within our watch at Peterchurch. It’s a massive team effort here and we look out for each other. Your colleagues become an extended part of your family.“
Luke works a 224 rota with Mid and West Wales, which means working 2 days, followed by 2 nights, followed by 4 days off. On his 4 days off Luke works his 50 on-call hours coverage, but often gives more because he enjoys what he does so much. “I enjoy being with my colleagues, it’s not a chore, it doesn’t feel like work. I’m able to bring in knowledge from being a Wholetime firefighter. It’s all about achieving the end goal of succeeding and getting the result we all want.
“Any incident that comes out with a positive conclusion is brilliant. The alerter goes off, the adrenaline kicks in, we all get to station and it doesn’t matter what the call is, how big or small, it’s about the success at the end. I remember one particular call out where we were able to locate and rescue a person and offer support, and they then came to thank us later.
“For me it’s all about serving the community and giving that little bit back. I’ve had so many people support me and now I’m a dad and a role model, and giving back means a lot and goes a long way. If I can change someone’s life for the better that’s what it’s all about.”
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