A veteran firefighter is retiring from the service after 30 years.

Andy Rose, manager for Blue Watch at Huddersfield Fire Station, will attend his last parade on January 4 after a career in which he received two commendations and attended all manner of call-outs from tackling house fires to watering an overheating circus elephant.

Andy, 52, who lives at Meltham, said: “I have had a great 30 years. It has been brilliant. I have worked with some fantastic people throughout my career. I love coming to work and being a team player. But now it’s the start of a new chapter.”

Andy was born in Mirfield and grew up in Heckmondwike. He attended Liversedge Secondary School – now Spen Valley High School – and took an engineering apprenticeship with lathe manufacturer T S Harrison in Heckmondwike.

It was while playing football for Heckmondwike Grammar School Old Boys that a teammate suggested he would make “a great firefighter.”

Examiner Pride of Huddersfield nominee Jean Gledhill, clerk at Huddersfield Fire Station. Pictured with colleagues left to right, Watch Commander Andy Rose, Firefighter Gill Warrington, Crew Commander Steve Mosley and Firefighter Scott Baxter.

Andy said: “I thought ‘that sounds interesting.’ I had a great uncle who emigrated to New Zealand and served in the fire service, but that’s the only family connection.”

Andy joined West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service in 1988. His first posting was to Sowerby Bridge, where he served for 18 months before moving to Batley and later getting a temporary promotion to leading firefighter stationed in Bramley. He was promoted to crew manager at Huddersfield in 2000.

He went on to have a number of roles at headquarters in Birkenshaw, including teaching at the training school and working on a number of projects. He was promoted again to watch manager and served at Rothwell and Halifax before latterly returning to Huddersfield.

Andy received two commendations during his career – one when he was in charge of a crew tackling a house fire in Odsal where a number of people were successfully rescued and the other for helping give first aid to a retained firefighter who had fallen and badly injured his hips and shoulder in freezing conditions answering a call-out in Meltham. The crew treated him and took him by fire engine to hospital after bad weather delayed the ambulance.

Retiring firefighter Andy Rose

On a lighter note, Andy and his crew were called on to hose down an overheating elephant one hot summer when the circus came to Batley. He also took part in a fundraising 24-hour ladder climb during which a team of firefighters climbed the equivalent of Mount Everest and set a world record in the process.

Andy said: “Tragedies involving children and vulnerable people are always upsetting, but when you save lives it means a lot. That’s what we are here for. I have been on some complex incidents and I enjoy the challenge of putting our skills to work. The end result is that you are serving the public.”

At 52, Andy says he’s ready for fresh challenges. “I would like to get into teaching,” he said. “I did teach at Kirklees College as a part-time lecturer when I was doing a degree in education and training.

“I like walking and I plan to do one of the national trails. I enjoy going out in the fresh air. One of my leadership heroes is Ernest Shackleton. Further down the line I would like to go to Antarctica on a short-term expedition.”