Bow firefighter honoured for long service

BOW firefighter Ian Thornton has been honoured for his long service at a special ceremony. The crew manager at Bow was only 23 when he joined the London Fire Brigade, and after 20 years service to Londoners, was awarded with a medal for his dedication to

BOW firefighter Ian Thornton has been honoured for his long service at a special ceremony.

The crew manager at Bow was only 23 when he joined the London Fire Brigade, and after 20 years service to Londoners, was awarded with a medal for his dedication to protecting the capital's communities from fire.

He joined the Brigade in 1989, when he changed his smart office suit to a firefighters uniform and rubber boots. He said: "I didn't really enjoy working in an office and was more interested in doing something more active, challenging and fun and a firefighter's job seemed to tick all the boxes."

His career started with an intensive training course that at the time took 21 weeks to complete and aimed at preparing firefighters to a variety of emergencies ranging from fighting fires to rescuing people from trapped vehicles.

After training he was posted to Bow fire station and has stayed there since. In 2003 he was promoted to crew manager and took charge of five firefighters and a fire engine.