End of 31-year watch for fireman Beswick

FAREWELL... Watch Commander Mark Beswick (front left) receives an engraved axe from crew manager Tony Green at Oldham Fire Station.

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A WATCH commander at Oldham Fire Station who helped extinguish the 1984 Summit Tunnel fire in Rochdale is hanging up his helmet today after 31 years in service.

Mark Beswick (51), from Grotton, joined Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 1980.

Based at the Lees Road station for the past 15 years, his career has seen him tackle hundreds of fires in the borough.

But the time is right for the father-of-two to step down from his role and, as he said, leave fire-fighting to his younger colleagues.

The former Cardinal Langley sixth former had planned to study a chemistry degree straight after completing his A-Levels when he spotted firefighting in a careers brochure.

After passing the required entry exams and being placed on a waiting list, he worked at a sausage factory next to Phillips Park fire station for two years before securing his job.

He said: “When I first started, it was certainly different to what I’d been used to, there was a lot of discipline, parades and uniforms.

“But it was exciting and I couldn’t wait for any fire: it’s just a shame that meant upset for someone else.”

Mr Beswick said along with the Summit Tunnel fire, where a goods train carrying 13 petrol tankers caught fire in the tunnel between Todmorden and Littleborough. The Siemens factory fire in Hollinwood 10 years ago was also a memorable blaze.

He said the biggest change in his career was the uniform, which had gone from plastic trousers and gardening gloves to protective clothes and equipment specifically suited to fighting fires.

Though he admitted he would miss the fire service, he was looking forward to retiring and spending his days as the Oldham Coliseum handyman and researching local history.

He said: “The fire service has been a big part of my life and it has been very enjoyable providing a service to the community.

“Every day has been different and part of the attraction of the job is you never know what each day is going to bring.”

A formal presentation event was held yesterday at Oldham Fire Station in Lees Road, with the deputy borough commander Kevin Talbot and area manager Andrew Brookes.

Tony Green, crew manager, said: “Mark is a very methodical, meticulous officer with fantastic attention to detail but he also has a humorous side.”