Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has published some of the messages of thanks it has received from grateful members of the public this year.
Among the tributes to firefighters is a ‘thank you’ from a woman who wrote: “My dad was in Exeter and was attacked by some men in his car with my two children in the back. I just want to say thank you to the firefighters that happened to be passing at the time.
“They went straight to my boys (who are three and eight) to distract them and make sure they were ok. My youngest came home with a rugby ball from one of you that he loves!
“It was just luck you happened to be there but you made the situation a whole lot better for my boys. Thankfully my dad is ok and just a few cuts to his face.
“Thank you for what you did, there are some horrible people around but you proved to them that there are a lot more good!”
In another message, a grandmother wrote: “Thank you for everything you did for my daughter’s house fire. You do a brilliant job and all the family is devastated and it’s frightening that a shed in the garden can destroy your life. The most important thing is everyone got out without injuries!
“Luckily, I had toddler Freddie for the night! His bedroom went up so quick.
“We are a private family so I am writing this for everyone.”
The woman added a message for members of the public: “Please, please, put up fire alarms in the house and buy some for family’s houses. We did and saved our daughter’s life.”
A teacher wrote: “I just wanted to say ‘God bless you and a very big thank you’ to all of the emergency services people who attended the incident in Sidbury today.
“As one of the first people on the scene, and knowing the stories that I have taken my students to listen to at Learn2Live, I really did not know what to expect when I pulled back the airbag to see how I could help the driver.
“I don’t know how you do that every day! You are all amazing and a blessing to our community.
“I know this was just one of 50 call outs that happened at the same time, so I wish you all a very calm and peaceful Christmas season.”
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “It’s always lovely to hear how our staff have helped you. If you would like to send a thank you message of your own, you can email us via compliments@dsfire.gov.uk.”
