FIRE hero Steve Pearce has been presented with a long service’ award for his 30 years in London's fire and rescue service. The 49-year-old senior crew manager at Whitechapel was at the scene of several IRA bombings and one of the first on scene at a huge train crash at Cannon Street main-line station in the early 1990s

By Mike Brooke

FIRE hero Steve Pearce—who was involved in rescues during IRA London bombing outrages—has been presented this week with a long service’ award for his 30 years in the fire and rescue service.

The 49-year-old senior Blue Watch crew manager at Whitechapel began his London Fire Brigade career at Soho, then a short spell at Shoreditch before transferring to the busy East End patch.

“I was at the scene of several IRA bombings in the 1980s and 90s,” he recalls.

“We were first on the scene at the Bishopsgate bomb attack in 1993 and managed to put out a fire on the third floor of a badly damaged building right next to where the bomb went off.

TRAIN CRASH

“I was also one of the first on scene at a huge train crash at Cannon Street main-line station in the early 90s.

“Two people died and hundreds were injured when a train failed to stop at a dead end. We rescued a lot of people from the wreckage.”

He remembers his first ever shout’, or incident, that he was mobilised on.

“It was a flood at the Prince Edward Theatre in the West End in 1979,” Steve said. “I remember Evita was showing that night.”

Steve received his commemorative plaque from Deputy Lieutenant Jenny Bianco at the fire training centre in Southwark. His proud 92-year-old father was there to see him accept it.