One of North Norfolk’s community heroes has reached a major milestone, as Tony Pointer celebrated 50 years as a firefighter at Holt Fire Station. Here, Tony explains how he has no current plans to stop serving the people of Holt in his firefighting role
Tony Pointer, who joined the Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service in 1976, at the age of 19, is celebrating 50 years as a firefighter at Holt Fire Station. For the last 31 years Tony has been in charge at the station in his role as Watch Manager for Holt, and it’s estimated that he has attended over 7,000 incidents in his 50 years as a firefighter. Tony said: “The best part of the job is knowing that I can help the community, and the gratitude we receive back from them in return. Obviously, we don’t do it for the thanks, but when seeing the warmth and kindness from people on social media, or after you’ve helped them at an incident – that’s what makes it really special.”
The principles of firefighting have remained the same since Tony started in 1976, but quite a bit has changed in the world of fire and rescue since he started 50 years. Tony said: “The main thing is the kit we’re using, which is so much more advanced now – back when I started it was only really ladders and hoses on the appliances, but now we have so much variety in the jobs we to go to, so there’s much more on the pumps. Plus, our kit is much more advanced than the cork helmets and rubber gloves we used to wear!
“The technology has also really advanced. In the days before mobile phones, people would often have to drive to a payphone to report outdoor fires. With technology like What3Words and GoodSam [where callers can live stream to the fire service control room], we can get out so much quicker.”
Tony is the middle link of three generations of Pointers to have served at Holt, with at least one member of the family serving as part of the town’s fire crew since 1955. His father, Herbert, was on-call for 29 years before retiring as the station’s Watch Manager in 1984, and Tony now works alongside his son Ricky, who joined the service in 2002. Between them, the Pointer family have over 100 years’ experience of fighting fires in the town.
Not only did this summer mark 50 years of firefighting for Tony, he also celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with his wife Wendy, with the couple marrying four days before Tony started his first shift in 1976.
Holt is one of 39 on-call stations in Norfolk, and on-call firefighters carry alerters and must be able to respond to their local station within five minutes of an emergency call, making themselves available to attend fire and rescue incidents from their homes or places of work.
To recognise Tony’s incredible longevity and dedicated service, the station put on a special evening in his honour, which included a presentation from Norfolk’s Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Scott Norman, and Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Tony White, and flowers for Wendy too.
Cllr Pat Gould, Norfolk County Council Cabinet Member for Countryside, Coast and Culture, said: “We’ve seen in recent weeks the scale of the challenges that our firefighters have to face, and to devote your life to facing those challenges head on is commendable.
“The Norfolk I love is rooted in the spirit of its communities – and people like Tony absolutely exemplify that. Holt should be proud of what he and his family have given to the town, and I commend Tony for all of his hard work over so many years.”
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Scott Norman said: “Tony represents the best of our service, and it can’t be overstated just what an achievement it is to show up for 50 consecutive years at one station.
“The Pointers have an incredible legacy in Holt, and that includes Wendy, who will have made so many sacrifices of her own while Tony and his family were out supporting the community.
“We think Tony would have attended over 7,000 incidents in that time, therefore helping many thousands of local residents over the years and no doubt saving countless lives in the process. It was a real privilege to be able to share our gratitude for all the work he’s done over the years.”
Tony retired from his other paid job working for the Highways England two years ago but has no current plans to stop serving the people of Holt in his firefighting role. “As firefighters we have to pass an annual fitness test, and I’m still exercising every day – so I’m going to keep going for as long as my body will let me!”
Featured image of Tony Pointer by ED Lee Photography
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