A fire officer who has braved intense heat and smoke to save the lives of hundreds of Londoners for the last 30 years has been awarded a long service medal.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Bernie Higgins, of Deans Road, Sutton, joined the Brigade in 1978 and was first posted to Mitcham Fire Station.
He now heads the team managing London Fire Brigade’s specialist equipment used at major incidents.
Mr Higgins has battled many blazes in his career, but one incident in January 1985 when a gas explosion demolished a block of flats on Putney Hill in Wandsworth, sticks in his mind.
He said: “I was a firefighter at Tooting fire station and attended the incident on a very cold winter’s morning.
“I remember the scene of devastation when we arrived, how hard we worked removing rubble and debris by hand in order to locate survivors.
“Sadly eight people died.”
Speaking about the changes to the service over 30 years, Mr Higgins said: “Our equipment has improved immeasurably and the new uniform now offers us much better protection than ever.
“When I first joined the LFB there were no women firefighters and very few black or ethnic minority firefighters.
“LFB now has the most diverse workforce of any UK fire and rescue service. There is absolutely no doubt that this has played a major part in improving the service we deliver.”
Mr Higgins said the job was “incredibly rewarding and at times incredibly challenging both mentally and physically”.
He said: “I will always be very proud to say that I am a London firefighter.”
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