A man had a suprise when the care home he now lives at arranged a suprise visit to Oldbury Fire Station. Things have changed a bit since he was on the job, including the salary.
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00:00How are you Jim you okay? Yes thank you. So we're at Oldby Fire Station and
00:04Little Bird tells me you used to work here back in the day? I did yes yes.
00:08What year were you a fireman here Jim? 1974 to 1997. So you've come back today
00:15just to have a trip down memory lane? Yeah, my friends have brought me. Nice surprise?
00:20It was very nice. And what are your memories back in the days? I mean you've been
00:24having a look at the kit and that is it is it I presume it's a fair bit
00:27different to when you were? Well it's very similar yeah it's much more modern of
00:32course. Yeah does it make you kind of think what I wish we'd had this you know
00:36I mean when we were? It's all very similar but the vehicles are much more powerful. Yeah yeah and
00:43was it the same amount of engines and that when you were here Jim? Very similar, not quite the same.
00:49So what's what are your memories of being a fireman was it you know was it
00:54was it tough graft was it kind of I suppose it's highs and lows isn't it
00:57any particular memory stand out any particular characters you used to work with?
01:01Comradery is that the word is it? Like a family? Yeah, otherwise it was all friends.
01:07Yeah yeah. Which is good. Yeah that's good well I suppose it's a special bond between you
01:11isn't it really you know? It's all been a squad like. Yeah yeah very true very true
01:16and we're here by the infamous fireman's pole so you'd have slid down this in your
01:21time yeah? Oh many times. I can imagine it's like a right a passage back in the
01:27day wasn't it when you become a fireman you kind of you know go down the pole
01:30was there a? They don't call them firemen anymore do they? What do they call them? Firefighters. Firefighters yeah yeah so. Because they're female. Of course yes yes
01:39firefighters of course that's it which slapped me on the eye and would you have
01:45changed it you know looking back are you glad he did what you did serving the
01:49community? Yes I did enjoy it yeah. Yeah yeah. Never boring. Never boring? No. No no and any
01:58particular memories any big fires back in your day like you know because we've
02:01got a lot of industry units haven't we in the black country was it? Oh yeah. A lot of factories. Nice and look on them. Yeah yeah I guess those are the ones
02:09that are the biggest aren't they the the factories the in that kind of scale of
02:13things? Big chemical factories. Well yeah actually we've got the road yeah the old road of your factory yeah yeah so I guess that was
02:19always on your mind if you ever got a call and said right there's an issue
02:22incident at Rodea yeah well thank you for your service here Jim. Thank you.
02:27How are you guys you okay? How's it been having an old comrade visiting today then?
02:33Yeah. Has he given you a few old tales of what it was like? We can't tell. What
02:40happens at Oldby fire station stays at Oldby fire station and back in them days
02:45it was very different in terms of the kit wasn't it I should imagine and the
02:48safety kit yeah? It was all made out of paper in them days. It wasn't quite that bad was it?
02:55More as well as been. Yeah it has come on a lot. Yeah yeah and do you have many old boys kind of come back for a return
03:01visit? First time off since I've come here. Yeah yeah and there's a couple, there's three of you isn't there that were born on the year that Jim retired?
03:11Yeah. Guess which ones. Ding ding ding. Jim was there many female firefighters back in your day?
03:21I bet there was. Yeah yeah. Has it been nice though Lynette to catch up and see him and
03:28enjoy himself. Well cheers guys thank you very much.
03:32Judy, he's better off and it was a secret wasn't it bringing him here today?
03:39I don't know, I've kept it a secret for two weeks. Well done. Jim's worrying now though because now he knows you can't keep secrets, do you know what I mean, that's the problem.
03:47Yeah she got the blame. Yeah she got the blame. And what was it that, did you always have a thing for firemen? Is that what drew you together? Was it the uniform?
03:56We always had a thing for Jim. Yeah yeah. But it was a case of having to find a job because we've got a little child as well. Yeah yeah. And Jim was saying, I said well you know did you always want to be a fireman as a kid?
04:07And you said it was a job, it was there because you know at the time it wasn't well paid was it? No no. I'm sure some of these guys might say there's still room for a bit of improvement on the salaries.
04:18Well if they knew how much it was they'd help them wouldn't they. Yeah yeah. And how's it been for yourself Judy to come here and see Jim kind of. It's really wonderful. Yeah that's great, thank you guys.