Tom Bamford is pictured with the Silver Axe with Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Darryl Keen (left), Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority Chairman, Councillor David Rowlands (second right), and Area Manager Denis O'Driscoll (far right).
18 December 2009
A new firefighter from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service has been awarded the highest honour a trainee can attain.
Firefighter Tom Bamford, from Aylesbury, was presented with the Silver Axe last week by Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Darryl Keen, at the ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of his development as a firefighter.
This award is presented to the trainee who has achieved the best overall results in both the practical and theoretical assessments undertaken during the physically and mentally demanding 11-week course. The course instructors also awarded marks based on attitude, enthusiasm, team work, fitness and overall development over the time at the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
Tom, 27, beat trainees from Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar who were on the course as well as colleagues from Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes to achieve this award.
Tom said: “I was very surprised to be awarded the silver axe. It was hard being away from my family for 11 weeks but I really enjoyed the course, learning new skills and being part of a team.”
Tom, who has been a retained duty system firefighter based at Aylesbury Fire Station for six years, will be joining Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service as a wholetime firefighter along with 20 other trainees.
“Being a firefighter is something I have always wanted to do. I really enjoyed being part of the RDS crew and decided to become a wholetime firefighter as I wanted to do the job full time.”
Darryl Keen, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Tom, and he should be congratulated for his hard work.
“It is great to see so many recruits completing this first stage and this is as a result of the dedication and commitment of all the trainees throughout the course and the determination of the instructors involved.
“The training course is extremely intensive and represents the challenges they will face as firefighters and the changing role which places more emphasis on helping to create a safe community by preventing fires from occurring in the first place.”
At the recent ceremony the trainees, selected from over 1,000 people who queued for application packs earlier this year, gave a display of some of the skills they have learned to their families and friends, along with representatives of Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority, before being presented with their certificates.
After completing a further three weeks’ training at Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s training school in Haddenham to consolidate what they have learned, they will be posted to their fire stations next month to start work on the next stage of their development.