Sawbridgeworth fire station commander bows out with happy memories of working in the town

A fire chief looked back on his 20 years at Sawbridgeworth with fondness after he hung up his tunic and helmet for the last time.

Simon Lincoln joined the station in Station Road as a retained firefighter in 2004 and, after beginning his whole-time career with Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) a year later, eventually rose to the rank of Sawbridgeworth watch commander.

He told the Indie about his first shout at Sawbridgeworth: a chimney fire in Little Hallingbury Park.

“It wasn’t the spectacular call that everyone expects, with flames and rescues, but it was just as satisfying to help someone out,” said Simon.

After joining full-time, Simon was stationed at Hertford, then Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, where he will continue to work, while still being a member of the retained crew in Sawbridgeworth.

In 2012 he took promotion at Sawbridgeworth to crew commander, assisting the watch commander to run and manage the station, and then in 2020 promotion came again, this time to watch commander in charge of the station.

“This was just as Covid struck, and my first task was to safely manage the station and crew through the pandemic whilst still maintaining and providing an operational fire and rescue service,” said Simon.

“Over the years I’ve built connections and worked closely with the local police, town council and local businesses, enabling opportunities to be able to engage with the people of Sawbridgeworth, supplying them information and services to keep them safer.

“I’ve taken so much from my time at Sawbridgeworth – I’ve met and worked with so many great people who I now refer to as friends.”

Simon’s colleagues gave him a send-off on his last day at Sawbridgeworth last Tuesday (April 9).