A football-loving fire commander has been recognised for 30 years’ service at Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Station Commander Martin Boome, of Thorney, was presented with his 30-year award from the Community Prevention group, of which he is part of in his current role as arson liaison officer.

The 57-year-old’s firefighting career started after he moved to Thorney in 1979 and joined the village’s on-call station, at which he served for 18 years.

Mr Boome said: “I’ve worked with numerous people throughout my 30 years as a firefighter and in-charge, and whatever job we have been sent to I have always admired the professionalism and efforts of our firefighters.

“It’s a unique job and when the bells go down or sonics go off, someone needs our help whether it is a fire, road traffic collision, or someone with a finger stuck in a leaking waterbed – yes, that has happened to me.

“Whatever situation we are sent to, we are known as a ‘Can Do’ organisation,” he said.

Some of the largest incidents he has attended include fires at RAF Brampton, Tee-Kee Packaging in Peterborough and the Fengate explosion in 1989.

He currently works as the arson liaison officer, spending a majority of his time based at the Peterborough fire stations, and is also one of the Service’s fully trained fire investigators.

Martin has served as a firefighter in Huntingdon and Dogsthorpe, before spending time at the Service’s training centre and climbing the ranks to station commander,

He spent time managing Ely, Wisbech and the Peterborough stations, as well as in the role of community risk manager in Fenland.

Since establishing the Arson Investigation Unit with Safer Peterborough Partnership in 2009, Martin has been the Service’s arson liaison officer, working with a range of partners and organisations to drive down deliberate fires in the county.