Fire Station cleaner retires in blaze of glory
From: ArticlesHATS OFF TO PAT: Cleaner Pat Collier gets ready to put up her feet as fire fighters (left to right) Dave Noddle, Steve Horrocks, Chris Howarth and Neil Fuller salute her. Now Pat’s off to Canada for her 45th wedding anniversary Fire station cleaner retires in blaze of glory
10:47am Monday 30th July 2007 in News By Telegraph newsdesk
HATS OFF TO PAT: Cleaner Pat Collier gets ready to put up her feet as fire fighters (left to right) Dave Noddle, Steve Horrocks, Chris Howarth and Neil Fuller salute her. Now Pat’s off to Canada for her 45th wedding anniversary A FIRE station cleaner, who has a bucket older than some recruits, is hanging up her mop for good after 23 years.
Pat Collier, 65, of Beechwood Drive, Blackburn, has worked at Blackburn Fire Station, Canterbury Street, since August 1984.
In her time she has seen the changing face of the fire service – and the station’s resident ghost!
She said: ”I’m having problems with arthritis and bad legs, and I can’t bend and pick things up properly.”
She is the only member of staff to have seen the station’s ghost, something she puts down to being in at 6am every morning.
Pat said: ”It’s a ghost of a fireman from the 1800s who hanged himself in the yard.
”He was about to be made redundant because they didn’t need horses anymore.
”He’s turned lights out on me when no one else was around, and I’ve felt his presence behind my back.
”He didn’t want to leave, and in a way I don’t.”
Former colleague Marie Fairbrother, who worked with Pat at the station from 1986 to 1990 and from 1995 to 2006, said that she would be sorely missed.
She added: ”Every day with Pat was a laugh. She’s jolly, outgoing and loves her family.”
Pat herself said: ”I am going to miss this place. They are a grand bunch.”
Gary Monk, station manager, said: ”We are all going to miss Pat massively. She will be very difficult to replace because her honesty and cleaning have been exemplary.”
Pat plans to enjoy taking a rest in her retirement, and is going on holiday to Canada in September with her husband to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.
Reference number
BP/BP5/2/0008/0003/0016- 1990 New Commander for Blackburn fire station
- 1990’s Green watch
- 1991 Green Watch drilling in town centre
- 1991 Two officers taking time out from observing drill
- A Visit To The Fire Station From The Radio Station
- A Well Deserved Rest
- Accrington Watch 1990’s
- Aerial Ladder Platform training in the 1990’s
- Billy Whitely’s Retirement Bash
- Blackburn Inter-watch Competition
- Blackburn’s Station Manager Gary Monk
- Blue Watch At Drill
- Blue Watch Dangling At Bibby’s Foodstuffs Whitebirk
- Budgie Rescue
- Burnley FC Arson Seminar
- Celebration of 200 years 1994 The Plaque presentation
- Children In Need Canoe Event At Waves
- Cleaning the engine house
- Cricket Interwatch 1990’s
- Entertaining the public
- Ewood Safety Tips To The Rescue
- Fire Prevention Day King William Street 1990’s
- Green watch
- Green Watch 1990’s
- Green Watch 1990’s (Joe Pickup’s retirement)
- Green Watch 2000’s
- Green Watch at Joe Pickups’retirement
- Hard Hats And Soft Hearts; Carl & Chris Fogarty raise money for charity
- John Riley At Sixties Night Blackburn Fire Station
- Ken’s Leaving, Last Night At The Station
- Kevin Gibson’s Charity Football Match
- Long Service Personnel 1980s
- Members of Red Watch 1990’s
- Message Loud And Clear For Bob
- Open day 1992
- Open Day 1993
- Orphanage Cup Final Darwen Anchor Ground 1997
- Orphanage Cup Game Circa 1990’s
- Recruit Photos With Blackburn Firemen 1980s
- Red Watch 1994
- Red watch River Ribble Raft Race 1980s
- Station drill on old Byrom street station
- The Floods At Brownhill 1980s
- The Ram Fan Rally
- Tony Clemson’s Leaving Do
- White watch drill in Corporation park 1990’s
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- White Watch drilling behind old B and Q
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Comments about this page
the second two photos were sent to us from Marie fairbrother
The real heroes of our fire station the number of times they have sorted out our bunks when we out on jobs is endless.
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