My Job - Marc Cresswell, Dartmouth Fire Station Commander
My Job - Marc Cresswell, Dartmouth Fire Station Commander
My Job - Marc Cresswell, Dartmouth Fire Station Commander
In February 2010 Marc took over the role of Dartmouth Station Commander after the retirement of Barry French who had served the town admirably for over thirty years.
Did you always want to be a fireman?
No, on leaving school I first went to South Devon College as I wanted to be a teacher! I soon changed my mind and went to work for the Gas Board laying mains and services and after being made redundant I joined Valeport in Townstal which subsequently moved to Totnes.
We made hydrological materials such as flow meters and water samplers and I was a general factory assistant. I became a retained fireman at Dartmouth fire station in 1994 and became a full time fireman in the Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service three years later. I am actually a full time watch manager at Plympton firestation but when this retained position became available I applied for it and was lucky enough to get it.
What does it take to become a fireman?
That’s a difficult one for me to answer because we are just ordinary people who live and work in the community who have decided, I suppose, to put a bit back. Obviously it is necessary to be able to do physical work – we don’t ask for super athletes but you do have to be capable of, at times, hard physical activity. You must be disciplined enough to follow orders and work well as part of a team.
Mostly people who like a challenge and a varied work life, because no two days are the same. You receive good training and have the opportunity to attend First Aid and LGV driving courses. If anyone is interested in becoming a retained fire fighter I would be happy to hear from them.
Of course you’re not just fighting fires……
No, certainly not. We can be called out to almost any sort of an ‘emergency’ from rescuing cats and seagulls to major chemical incidents, road traffic accidents or terrorist incidents. We also have close working practices with the other emergency services. For example, working with the police and ambulance services at road traffic collisions we know their ways of working and will always work to the paramedics advice to get the injured out as quickly but as safely as is possible.
How does a ‘retained’ station work?
This station is on call 24 hours a day seven days a week, 365 days a year and has 20 staff to do this which is enough to crew the two engines here. Of the twenty, some are on call the whole time and others, who have jobs out of the town, will be on call in the evenings and weekends.
Training is done every Wednesday evening for two hours. Everyone carries a pager and responds to the station when needed.
You are a true Dartmothian?
Oh yes and I live in Townstal with my partner Felicity who is a staff nurse at Derriford Hospital. I also have a five year old daughter from a previous relationship who unfortunately now lives in Australia but I do get to speak with her every week. My mother and father are also in Townstal – mum was born here and dad was in the Navy and then moved to Dartmouth. As well as mum and dad I have other family members who all also live in Dartmouth.
Proaction rather than reaction is one of your main goals I believe…
Prevention is always better than cure! Preventing fires must surely be a better option than having to fight them and bearing in mind the difficulty of even reaching some properties in Dartmouth, it certainly makes even more sense.
Home Fire Safety visits are available; fire officers will attend at your property to carry out a risk assessment, check that you have fire alarms fitted in the right places and if not we will fit them free of charge.
We also ensure that you have a plan to get out of your property should the worst scenario happen especially at night. Do you know where the keys are to unlock your doors? Are your doorways unobstructed? So much can be done to ensure your safety and maybe even your neighbours too. Most home fires are caused by a combination of smoking under the influence of alcohol and kitchen accidents although some are due to electrical faults or overloaded sockets.
Dartmouth must be made a safer place. The fire engines are too large to negotiate several roads in the town which means we would have to get them as close as possible and then roll out hoses which of course, takes time.
The relatively new mobile data terminals in the fire engines help us locate properties more quickly and they will tell us where the nearest fire hydrant is but I would prefer not to have to put them to the test! Also if we were to suffer a major incident in Dartmouth whilst the ferries were running we would have back up from Brixham relatively quickly but if anything happens after the ferries stop at night we know how long it takes for help to get through the lanes from Totnes!
First Published May 2010 By The Dart
