When you retire from the fire service, you may be leaving the job behind – but you never leave the fire family, or our charity.
And retired firefighter David Marshall says it was only in retirement that he first called on us, inspiring him to continue supporting us in more recent times.
David, who was an operational firefighter with Hampshire and Isle of Wight FRS until 2012, before retiring as a Station Manager, has also since become one of our telephone befrienders, as another way of giving back.
Here, he shares his story…
“I’ve raised loads of money for the charity over the years, through Car Washes and fundraisers,” says David. “We did everything we could do, with some of us volunteering with maintenance at one of the centres too. It wasn’t until retirement, however, that I truly saw the difference that those funds make.
“I’ve had superb assistance from the charity to get mobile and flexible – and get well again.
“I first went to Harcombe House in 2015, around 10 weeks after having a full hip replacement. It was tremendous, and a real reassurance knowing I had it coming up.
“When I arrived I was still using a walking stick, and by the end of it, I was climbing over gates, striding over uneven ground and enjoying hilly walks.
“I started off in the hydropool mainly, but by the end I was in the main pooland joining the group walks. It was absolutely amazing. I was working as a fire consultant at the time, so I was able to go straight back to that after the visit.
“Around two years later I had some trouble with my knee and went to Marine Court that time. After a week I’d started jogging! I was gobsmacked. When I got home, I started doing 5K Park Runs – just knowing I was able to do that was amazing.”
David got in touch with us again in 2024 for some help and guidance with arthritis in his hands.
“It had got to the point where it was uncomfortable to drive, and there were some dexterity things I couldn’t do,” he adds. “I’m only in my 60s, so that was quite alarming.
“I did some online sessions first, and then went to the centre for a week. The flexibility, dexterity, strength and reduction in pain following the exercises and time they gave me is awesome now.
“It’s particularly nice to step back into the firefighting world and meet others in the community once you’ve retired. There’s a lot of Mickey taking and, importantly, a lot of support.”
While David continues to support us into retirement, he also now volunteers as a befriender, calling a member of our retired community once a week to offer a listening ear.
“It’s really rewarding,” he says. “It’s there for people who may not have anyone else to talk to. Even if you’re just a sounding board, it helps them so much.
“The charity is there for you into retirement – I’ve had help three times since retiring, so it’s really important we support it in these years too.”
If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.
And remember – if you’re feeling suicidal, you can call our Crisis Line 24 hours a day on 0300 373 0896.