Three decades of firefighting celebrated as watch commander retires

25/06/2025

More than three decades of firefighting were celebrated as a long serving watch commander attended his last on-call drill night at Soham Fire Station.

Richard Powell, 55, was joined by past and present colleagues, including those from other stations, to bid farewell and commemorate his career, which included more than 20 years as a wholetime firefighter and 34 years serving his local community in Soham as an on-call firefighter.

Joining the Service in May 1991, Richard came to Soham Fire Station with a friend to see what it took to apply, even though he initially wasn’t too interested in the role.

He said: “My friend was very keen on joining the crew at the station, but it wasn’t something that I was bothered about at the time. He twisted my arm to come along to find out about the process. I never thought it would turn into my full time career and I’d still be here more than 30 years later.”

After successfully completing the process to be an on-call firefighter, Richard took the next step and became a wholetime firefighter in 2001. He served in the London Fire Brigade before transferring to Cambridgeshire, where he spent most of this career at Cambridge Fire Station. Richard has climbed the ranks at both stations to be watch commander at both locations, where he is responsible for the day to day running of the crews.

Richard added: “I’m immensely proud of what I have achieved in my career and from the looks of how many people took time out of their busy lives to wish me all the best, I must of done something right. One of the joys of my job has been seeing firefighters develop into their roles and go onto great things. It has been an honour and privilege to have worked with so many good people.

“I have special thanks to give to my partner Vicky and my three wonderful stepdaughters for putting up with the rigors of being an on-call firefighter family. They have provided me with fantastic support and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”

Richard now plans to spend more time with his family and on the golf course, as well as beginning a new career as a college porter.

Assistant Director Simon Thompson presented Richard with his firefighter figurine, in recognition of his service.

He said: “I am really honoured to be recognising Richard for his amazing dedication over the last 34 years. Many people have had the pleasure of working alongside Richard at Soham Fire Station and he has had a tremendous influence on their careers. Providing 34 years to a community is an amazing achievement, the service and the local community are incredibly grateful for his commitment.

“Richard has always held himself and his crews to the highest standards, which is evident when you walk onto a station when he’s on duty. He has been a fantastic leader and he has certainly earned some extra time on the golf course. He will be missed and a hard act to follow.”

Richard spent more than 30 years serving is local community as an on-call firefighter. He was one of more than 200 across Cambridgeshire who respond when they are needed to emergencies. These range from fires and road traffic collisions to animal rescues and people trapped. They carry a pager when available to respond and will drop everything to get on a fire engine to help people in their local community.

To be an on-call firefighter you need to be within five minutes of your local fire station, either while at work or at home, and have a good general level of fitness.

If you think you could be an on-call firefighter, find out more in our Careers section.