Omagh firefighter hangs up his helmet after 33 years service

OMAGH Community Fire Station has bid farewell to long-serving crew member William Clements, who has retired after 33 years with the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

Reflecting on his career, William said he would miss the camaraderie most of all. He and a group of retired colleagues, who jokingly call themselves ‘The Old Flames’, still meet every fortnight to catch up.

“It’s hard to believe 33 years have passed so quickly; it’s been a very good time,” he said.

When William joined the service, the job was very different.

He recalled the old fire station in Omagh, where lockers sat beside the fire engines and fumes filled the air.

Training facilities were limited, with ladder drills often carried out at the local leisure centre.

“Now the new station has everything… plenty of space, a full gym, meeting rooms. It’s a very lovely environment compared to when I started,” he said.

Over the years, William also became involved in a specialist animal rescue unit, one of only two in Northern Ireland.

“We go out to a lot of farms – usually cows or pigs that have fallen into slurry pits and need rescuing,” he explained.

But alongside the unusual call-outs, there were also tragic moments.

“Unfortunately, everyone knows there have been a large number of RTCs and tragedies, and that has probably been the most difficult part of the job. Thankfully there haven’t been too many deaths in people’s homes during my time, and we do a lot of fire safety checks to help prevent that. It’s important to get them done, and people should always make sure all their detectors are working.”

Asked what he would miss most, William responded, “The teamwork and the people. It’s not an individual job… you’re relying on your buddies to help, especially in breathing apparatus. Every call-out is different, and you never know what you’re going to face. I’ll miss my colleagues and the social life with them. Our families grew up together. That’s special.”

Though he admitted his wife would not miss the bleeper going off at 3am, William said his three decades of service had been immensely rewarding.

“It’s a great occupation. You get to serve your community and do so many worthwhile things. The Fire Service is always helping people in ways you might not expect when you first join.

“It’s been a great 33 years, and I’ve genuinely loved my time. I will miss it.”