Callington’s Dan Chowings passes fire crew’s toughest test

For the last three years, Dan Chowings’s phone has been able to interrupt anything at all: his tea, his sleep, a Saturday off. This week that habit of dropping everything the moment it rings finally earned him a certificate to show for it.

Three years on the alerter

Dan, known to the crew as FF Chowings, has completed his three-year probation and is now a fully qualified on-call firefighter with Callington Community Fire Station, part of Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

For 36 months he has balanced his main career, his family commitments and his own time with the particular demand of the on-call role, being ready to drop everything the moment his alerter goes off. It is a different kind of commitment to a full-time firefighting job, and the station says it takes a “truly unique level of dedication” to see it through.

What the last 36 months have looked like

The path to full operational status started with intensive initial training courses, then settled into a routine of late-night drill nights alongside the real thing: emergency call-outs in all kinds of weather. Callington Community Fire Station says Dan has “proven his grit, skills, and unwavering teamwork” while working to meet the standards needed to protect the town and the wider Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service area.

In a post on Facebook, the station said the whole team, and colleagues across the county, are proud of the firefighter Dan has become, thanking him for his sacrifices and his commitment to keeping the town safe.

“Dan, you have earned your place in this crew tenfold.”

📷Credit: Callington Community Fire Station