London Fire Brigade firefighter retires after 45 years of service

BBC News

24-07-2025

One of London's longest-serving firefighters has retired after more than 45 years of service.Malcolm McCarthy joined the London Fire Brigade aged 21 in 1979.He labels himself the "relief king", having frequently attended as relief for major incidents such as the Brink's-Mat bullion heist in 1983, King's Cross fire in 1987, and the Sussex Arms bombing in 1992.Mr McCarthy said he had "had a long, varied, interesting career" and "wouldn't have changed it for anything".
Mr McCarthy started his career as an apprentice toolmaker, until his lifelong best friend told him about his job as a firefighter.He said he thought it sounded "absolutely brilliant" and wrote a letter to the London Fire Brigade simply stating: "I'd like to be a London fireman."He began his career as a firefighter at Finchley's satellite centre after passing his tests at Southwark.He then moved to Heston as part of the Blue Watch.
He has gone on to do stints at fire stations in Ealing, Soho, Harrow, Stanmore and Paddington, and considers his time at Ealing in the late 1980s and early 1990s as his favourite.He explains he had an "eight-year rule", whereby he would move on to a new station after eight years.When he began his career, Mr McCarthy wore cork helmets, yellow plastic leggings and no gloves.He has since worn five different sets of protective fire gear during his career.
Mr McCarthy said he was "grateful" to get in to the London Fire Brigade."It's given me all the excitement I need and a good living," he said."You learn early on that you can't save everybody, but as long as you've tried your hardest, you can walk away with your head held high."In their hour of need, people call us. It's a very noble thing to do and I've enjoyed my time so much."I would recommend it to anybody."
Asked about whether he planned to spend more time on his hobbies, Mr McCarthy said: "The London Fire Brigade provided me with the excitement that a hobby can give you."He said he plans to "do a bit of travelling" and "get out more on my motorbike" in his retirement.