A VETERAN Cobham firefighter has retired after 41 years of service.

Sean Brewster, 61, walked out of Painshill fire station for the final time last Friday having first joined the fire brigade when he was 20 years old.

As well as saving lives at the scenes of fires and car crashes, he remembers most tackling flames at hundreds of blazes across Surrey in the heathland fires of summer 1976.

Firefighters were called to more than 600 reports of fires in one day, when many residents had to evacuate their homes and four firemen were hospitalised.

He said: “I’ve been to all sorts. That’s the nice feeling that you get, to save lives – you’re helping someone out.

“You are removed from them when you go to them, but you just know you’ve done a good job.

“You get a sense of pride in the job.

“Road accidents are not nice, but we deal with it in a particular way. It’s a vocation – being part of a team.

Mr Brewster stared life as a firefighter in Leatherhead, before spending time working in Woking, Chertsey and Walton.

He has worked at Painshill for the past 11 years and leaves having served as a watch manager.

He added: “I had a friend who was in there and he recommended it to me. I just thought I’d give it a go.

“It has its ups and downs but I’ve never looked back. I could have left 20 years ago. I will miss the people I work with because we have been together for a long time.”

Over the last 41 years Mr Brewster has seen serving as a firefighter change considerably, from the equipment used to the more community-oriented approach firefighters must now follow.

He said: “It’s got a lot more technical. We’re doing a lot more things than we used to. We are now out in the community. We are all having to work together.

“We are fortunate that in Surrey we have got some of the best equipment in the country – the standards are very high.

Mr Brewster has no immediate retirement plans other than to “enjoy his retirement” and travel with his wife Jenny.

He added: “I just felt after 40 years I’ve had enough. I’m happy with what I’ve done and now I’m just going to enjoy it."