Mike advises farmers across Herefordshire and Worcestershire in his day job as an agronomist before being an on-call Crew Commander at Kington Fire Station on the evenings and at weekends.
Mike balances the role with his home life as a husband and father to three children but one of his first times in charge of an incident before promotion highlights why it can be so worthwhile.
He said: “During the flooding in 2020 we rescued a mum and a toddler from a car that was filling up to the steering wheel with water in Letton.
“I used operational discretion to go in with wading poles and life jackets. We received the Chief Fire Officer’s Certificate of Commendation.
“I am proud of every job where we make a difference. It all feels worthwhile and the community appreciates it.
“If you have got the drive and want to help people then I don’t think there’s many better jobs to get into. The differences you can make are huge.”
From an agricultural background, Mike, whose brother Stuart is also an on-call firefighter at Fownhope (both pictured below), found himself drawn to pursuing a life in the Fire Service from childhood.
The former Luctonians rugby player said: “When I was at primary school in Fownhope I used to see the firefighters go out, some of them my friends’ dads, and I always wanted to do it.
“I didn’t really live anywhere suitable until I moved to Kington and joined the Service.
“I do manage to balance it with my home life but it can get tricky. I could be due to take the children to rugby and get a call-out which keeps me out for hours.
“I used to play a lot of rugby myself as a full-back but gave it up as I got injured and grew older.
“However, being an on-call firefighter still gives me that team element that I enjoyed from playing rugby.”
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