A former retained firefighter in Haworth has been honoured for 20 years of service.

John Petty has been presented with the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

He had retired from his post last month. He said: “This job has been one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve been able to learn and see lots of new things and meet a lot of really good people.”

He said among the major memorable incidents he responded to was the firebombing of Keighley’s Netto supermarket in 1995. He also helped fight the blaze at the Limes Nursing Home, in Skipton Road, in 1991. An 83-year-old resident of the home died in the fire.

Mr Petty, who lives in Lawcliffe Crescent, Haworth, was working as a panel beater for the West Yorkshire Motor Group when he became a retained firefighter in 1989.

“I had a friend who was involved and he got me interested,” he said. “Time wise I could give a lot more commitment back then. The training now is a lot different to when I started. It’s more in-depth and we’re trained to the same standard as full-time firefighters.

“We get called out to exactly the same types of incidents as they do.”

Today Mr Petty runs his own stairlift company. He said now he had retired from firefighting he was looking forward to having more time to enjoy his passion for motorbikes and rugby league.

Retained firefighters must spend much of their free time on call. They are only paid for the incidents they respond to, along with a nominal “retaining fee”.

Simon Pilling, the Chief Fire Officer of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, presented Mr Petty with his medal. He said he and his colleagues were special people who took on a “huge burden” that impacted on their lives and the lives of their families.

“This medal is recognition, not only from the brigade, but from myself and from the community that Mr Petty lives in,” he said.

“They don’t do the job for the money, but as a service to their communities.”

He said out of 48 fire stations in West Yorkshire, 14 were staffed by retained personnel, including Haworth and Silsden.

He added: “Recruitment is a problem, particularly in smaller villages.

“People’s work-life balance has changed over the years and the pool of individuals in a position to give up their time is reducing.

“There is a high demand for fitness and upper body strength because so much of the job is about moving around heavy equipment.

“But there are more opportunities for larger numbers of women to join.

“There’s a lot of teamwork involved — you’re rarely working by yourself — and the level of camaraderie we have is second to none.

“We’re not just looking for daytime cover, so this is something that someone working a nine to five job can consider.”

Anyone interested in becoming a retained firefighter can find out more online at westyorksfire.gov.uk.