Les Winchcombe, a much-loved Isle of Wight firefighter who has spent 40 years answering emergency calls, has spoken emotionally about the sacrifices behind his remarkable service – and the thought of eventually putting down his bleeper for the final time.
Yesterday (Monday), firefighters at Newport Fire Station surprised Les with an official certificate and medal, which signifies his remarkably long ‘lifetime’ service to the Isle of Wight community.
Island Echo sat down with him, his wife Mandy, brother Kev and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service Group Manager Dean Hayward in a raw and emotional conversation about what it means to him and his family to reach this milestone, as well as hearing from Dean about the importance of on-call – or retained – firefighters on the island.
Les, who enjoys fishing and renovating Lambrettas in his spare time, joined the team of retained firefighters at Newport on 7th April 1986, at just 19 years old. Having turned 60 in April, Les emotionally reminisced on the beginnings of his career and reflected on the core reason he joined the service some 40 years ago.
Asked what this milestone means for Les, Mandy and their family, Les said:
“You give up everything, you give up sleep, you give up your family to a degree, and for the last 40 years I have been starting work at 6:00 on a Monday morning, and Monday is drill night at the station, so I’ll be here until 22:00. I never joined for the money, the money was never there. It was always about helping people.
“My enjoyment is to help people”.
Les – a long-term employee at GKN as a welder – outlined how consuming the job is, explaining that the pair have 8 grandchildren and it is difficult to be taken away from Christmas dinners, birthdays, or something so simple as an evening in front of the TV with his wife.
Mandy said:
“I’m used to it now… now I’m used to it. I used to worry a lot especially when I look on Island Echo to see what’s going on. There’s always a worry.
“It’s a long time to do any job and, you know, he’s always here, always doing everything, always out on calls, there’s not many Christmas days he hasn’t been called out, the amount of dinners he’s come home to that are left in the oven… you name it, Les has missed it.
“We never get cross, he’s always been really passionate about it, and it’s part of him. I can’t imagine him not doing it.
“We are all just so proud of him.”
Reaching 60 just a few months ago, Les appeared emotional and moved by the looming thought of retirement day, saying the thought scares him:
“When I retire here, I don’t know, but I’ve carried this bleeper my whole life… what will I do without my bleeper? What would I do on Monday nights?
“Every time that alert goes off, it’s an emergency, someone needs our help and that’s why we do it.”
Talking about the struggles that the Fire Service have encountered throughout his career, Les highlighted an important and ever-growing gap that the emergency service is facing on the island.
He said:
“I am supposed to have 15 personnel, I’ve got 10 so yeah we’re understaffed which means more commitment from everyone on the retained team, at the end of the day we’ve got to put that thing [Fire Engine] on the road.”
Agreeing, Mandy said:
“There have been many occasions where he hasn’t gone to an event because he has checked the rota before going and realised there aren’t enough people in to run the engine.
“He will often say he can’t go to something because if he goes then the pumps can’t run… so he doesn’t go.”
Alongside his day job at GKN, Les mentioned how even when he is there, he has his pager on him and covers East Cowes Fire Station, continuing his commitment to 120 hours a week at the fire station.
Speaking on how his achievements have affected the whole family, Les said:
“One of them took an old one of my fire helmets into school and did a show and tell with it, with grandad’s helmet.”
Les’s brother and fellow firefighter of 17 years, Kev Winchcombe, and I spoke about his admiration for his brother and what it meant for the pair to work together for nearly 2 decades.
Kev said:
“I’ve got to be honest, for the last 5 years I’ve been telling him to retire. Not just because I’m his brother but anyone who can give 40 years service on the end of an alerter is just amazing and it is such a commitment to the public and their safety.
“I think me and Les are completely different people, different personalities and have different interests outside of work, but one thing it did do is bring us together.
“We used to see each other multiple times a week whereas without this job we probably wouldn’t have seen so much of each other, it definitely bought us closer and gave us something in common.
“These guys are on call 24-hours a day and the effects that has on a person and their families is not to be taken lightly.”
Dean Haward, Group Manager of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, noted that when Les joined the team, his dad was his Station Commander , going on to joke that even his grandad might have still been about.
Dean said:
“People outside of the job don’t understand the commitment of on-call firefighters.
“I don’t think a lot of people know that if you are an on-call firefighter, you get paid. A lot of people think they do it voluntarily, you know? So you do get paid, and like we said, not everyone does it for a reason, whether it be like Les to help people or the need of an extra bit of money.”
Dean went on to highlight the important and lifesaving work that on-call firefighters do for their local communities, going on to urge the public that they are always looking for on-call firefighters.
He said:
“I’d always encourage people if they want to do something for the community that’s rewarding and challenging but also something for them, it helps them grow as individuals.
“Joining the fire service on call is something that not everyone considers but it is a community that needs more people like Les.”
Anyone wishing to learn more about how to join Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service can visit https://www.hantsfire.gov.uk/careers/the-role-of-a-firefighter/become-an-on-call-firefighter/ for more information.
From the whole team at Island Echo, and on behalf of the Isle of Wight community, thank you Les!
Well done Les, at least the position didn’t stop you
having 8 grandchildren
Lol
Enjoy your retirement, there comes a time in life when
enough is enough.
Best job in the world – go for it.