Ex-firefighter Fred (83) rescued from lift

LIFE was full of ups and downs for retired firemen Fred Hurt when he got stuck in a lift....and had to be rescued by the fire brigade.

Roles were reversed for Fred (85)—who spent 30 years in the fire service—on Monday morning when a lift jammed at Emyvale House residential home in Wath on his way down to breakfast.

Firefighters from Brampton fire station were called out to rescue Fred, who uses a wheelchair after losing a leg, as he cracked jokes with carers while waiting to be released.

Widower Fred, who was never in any danger, quipped afterwards: "I never felt nervous because I had faith in the fire service."

Fred said that he asked staff to ring the fire brigade because he knew they would be able to get him out after remembering lift rescue operations when he was in the service.

One firefighter said: "He said it made a change for him to be rescued by firefighters after spending 30 years in the job."

Home manager Julie Count said: "He was coming down to breakfast with his wheelchair when the lift stuck for some reason.

"We talked to him all the time and he was cracking jokes, he was never in any distress."