I am coming back from Australia

I moved to Australia just over three years ago and will be returning to visit Tonbridge at the end of this week for Christmas and New Years :-)

I am extremely excited and whilst the Fire Station in Matfield is no more, I'll probably drive past and be a little tearful about the enjoyment I had from serving the community and dare I say upset about what has happened to the site.

Merry Christmas to everyone in Matfield and Brenchley and have a safe one!!

Thoughts and Prayers go to people of West, Texas

It's been a while now since Matfield fire station closed down, sadly the building is vacant and people have been using the forecourt as a local car park for some time. Going out on shouts to help people is a memory which becomes all the more thought provoking when you hear about disasters such as the industrial fertilizer accident in West, Texas in the United States this week where several of the local volunteers are still missing. When that bleeper goes off it never occurred to me that I wouldn't be coming back to bed at some point. The thoughts of Kent Fire and Rescue servants past and present are with the residents and volunteers of West, Texas, their families and everyone involved.

Standby at Tunbridge Wells, Saturday evening

Matfield were called to standby with Tonbridge's retained unit at Tunbridge Wells fire station on Saturday night due to a shed fire and road traffic collision in the Tunbridge Wells area. We arrived at approximately 22.30hr and just after midnight, although Tonbridge stayed on to man the station.

Football Pavilion fire at Cinderhill, Matfield

Matfield were called out at 20.15 this evening to black smoke seen at Cinder Hill. On arrival the football pavilion was engulfed in flames and within minutes completely destroyed. Paddock Wood also attended to extinguish the fire and make the area safe an hour and a half later.

Shed Alight, Beagles Wood Road, Pembury

Retained units from both Matfield and Tunbridge Wells were called out to reports of a shed alight in Pembury at around 18.30hrs on Monday evening. Matfield were first in attendance where the shed was fully engulfed in flames and minutes away from catching light to the house due to it's close proximity. We used an extended hose reel to access the fire down an alley and deployed a main delivery to bring the fire under control. The flank wall of the house was red hot and UPVC window frames, soffits and fascias had started to pyrolise before the flames were extinguished. Residents in Beagles Wood Road had to wait just under an hour for road access in and out of the cul de sac.

Smoke Issuing from oven in Pembury, Sunday evening

Matfield and Tunbridge Wells rescue ladder were called out to smoke issuing from an oven at Sandhurst Avenue in Pembury on Sunday evening at around 21.15hrs. The incident turned out to be minor.

Person trapped in bathroom, Cryals Road

Matfield were called out at approx 19.30hrs on Sunday evening to calls of a person trapped in bathroom. A small jemmy bar was used to prize the door open and free the person, who was unharmed.