Tony, who was born in Africa and has lived in Leeds since he was seven, retired from firefighting in 2003 after suffering hearing loss. However, he said he felt too young to retire and when a civilian job became available as a Fire Prevention Officer, he snapped up the opportunity. Since WYFRS started their Safe and Well visits in 2016 Tony has managed 5942 high risk cases and performed 3651 home high-risk intervention prevention visits. He has also safeguarded over 90 vulnerable and at-risk individuals. Despite suffering with prostate cancer, Tony has consistently been the highest performing member of the prevention team.
“I love my job, especially the camaraderie of the team,” said Tony, who used to play semi-professional rugby in the Bradford Northern Rugby League. “I really enjoy working in the community – talking to people and helping them. It was about thirty years ago that I learnt basic sign language and that means I can help fit special alarms for deaf people. I joined the fire service 45 years ago, when I was 22, and I have no plans to retire. Even though it’s wonderful to be a finalist for these awards, the best part of the job is working at the fire station in Leeds and visiting people to make sure they are safe.”
On Thursday Tony will attend a dinner at Hilton East Midlands Airport where delegates will hear about the incredible work he’s carried out.
Naomi Hirst, Leeds district prevention manager for WYFRS, said Tony goes above and beyond in his work. “We nominated Tony for the award as he cares deeply about the prevention work, we do and takes joy in helping people,” she said. “He continually goes above and beyond and is always the first to volunteer to pick up critical cases when others are on leave.
“Tony is adored by staff not just our own but policing partners too, who he works with to deliver our prevention messages at key engagement events. He helps to train new staff in prevention and always supports fire crews with safe and well visits. Every day Tony shows passion, diligence, and a true belief in the purpose behind what we do. We are all keeping our fingers crossed that he wins this award as he truly deserves it.”
