Veteran firefighter goes out in a blaze of glory

4:53pm Monday 21st May 2001

A FIREFIGHTER is retiring after 27 years of battling blazes in London.

Reg Gardener, 55, of Edmunds Avenue, St Paul's Cray, has been involved in fighting some of the worst fires in London, including a 25-pump blaze at the IRA bombing of the Greenwich gasworks in 1978.

Mr Gardener has worked as a firefighter at different stations including Eltham, Lee Green and Forest Hill, and received his Long Service and Good Conduct Medal in 1994.

Mr Gardener said: “One of the rewarding aspects of the job is that the public appreciates our work and what we are doing to help prevent fires.”

He plans to spend his free time reading, travelling and playing golf.