Micky Longstaff’s hung up his helmet final month after 22 years’ service, and couldn’t imagine it when it got here right down to his final job.
On his remaining shift on October 15 his crew, primarily based in Sunderland, have been despatched to rescue a cat which had been caught in a tree for 2 days.
The retiree, 50, mentioned: “I used to all the time get requested ‘do you really rescue cats from trees’ and I believed it was fairly becoming that my final job, on my final shift, with a few of my closest associates was to rescue a cat from a tree.
“When you normally flip as much as these kinds of rescues, you’ll pitch your ladder and the cat will fairly fortunately leap down earlier than you even stand up there, however this one was totally different.
“I used to be despatched as much as rescue the moggy in our Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) alongside a brand new firefighter who’d by no means used the tools earlier than.
“Once we have been up there I used to be almost sure the cat was going to leap down, but it surely didn’t and we managed to manoeuvre it right into a carry case and produce it right down to security.
The RSPCA had tried to carry the mouser to security, however the tree was too flimsy.
Micky (R) with fellow firefighter Lee Chape (centre), the cat and its proprietor (L).. (Image: TWFRS)
Thankfully the cat was unhurt from its treetop ordeal and reunited with its proprietor quickly after.
Fire chiefs thanked him for his lengthy service primarily based on the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s Marley Park station in Sunderland.
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Station supervisor Lee Bell mentioned: “mentioned “Mick has been a devoted firefighter over the previous 22 years, he units an exquisite instance and can be an enormous miss on station.
“With it probably being the final job Micky was going to be attending on behalf of the service, it was solely proper that he was the one to go up and get the cat.
“It offered everybody with a very good giggle and a terrific reminiscence of an unbelievable man.
“We can’t always attend every animal rescue around the region but when we can help the littlest amongst us, we will be there.”
