Three generations of Newcastle Emlyn firefighters

Gareth, Emyr and Cian Jones have each served as firefighters, with Emyr and son Cian still working for the service.

Gareth joined Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) in 1975, his son, Emyr, then joined as an on-call firefighter in 1996 and most recently, Emyr’s son and Gareth’s grandson, Cian, joined as an on-call firefighter in June 2023 – one week after his 18th birthday.

Not only has Cian followed in his father’s and grandfather's footsteps, but he has also inherited his grandfather’s previous service number.

Gareth is the eldest member of the family and spent 45 years working for (MAWWFRS).

Gareth was 25 years old when he joined the service as on-call firefighter in 1975. Gareth spent 19 years as Newcastle Emlyn Fire Station’s Watch Manager, before moving on to work within the service’s Community Safety Team.

When Gareth started as a firefighter there were no pagers, a large siren at the top of the station’s tower would sound to notify all on-call firefighters of an incident. There was no breathing apparatus in a firefighter’s kit either which looking back Gareth says is ‘incredible’.

Gareth attended the Amoco Refinery fire in August 1983 in Milford Haven, where a storage tank containing over 46,000 tonnes of crude oil caught fire. Gareth had to enter underground chambers underneath the tanker that was on fire to set ground monitors.

“I can remember us all entering this confined underground chamber and being very aware of how dangerous it was,” he said.

“Most of us on duty that day had young families at home and, as the watch manager, I told my fellow crew members that if they wanted to turn back to do so. Nobody did and it was this comradery and supporting one another that I enjoyed most while working as a firefighter.”

Following in his father’s footsteps, Emyr joined as an on-call firefighter at Newcastle Emlyn Fire Station in 1996, before becoming a wholetime firefighter in 1999. Emyr went on to spend more than10 years as Watch Manager at Newcastle Emlyn Fire Station and is about to mark 28 years of service.

Emyr is currently on secondment at service headquarters, where he is developing and delivering marauding terrorist attack awareness training to all operational crews, as well as providing operational cover in the Ceredigion area.

Emyr says that supporting and protecting the local community and teamwork are the best things about being a firefighter: “There’s a real feeling of being part of a family, not only within your own crew but with other stations too, whether it’s while we’re responding to incidents, undertaking training or attending community safety events.”

Emyr’s son Cian began his training to become an on-call firefighter this summer, a week after his 18th birthday and aspires to eventually become a wholetime firefighter. When asked about his new role as an on-call firefighter, Cian said: “I’m proud to be following in my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps and serving the community of Newcastle Emlyn.

“I enjoy the buzz of being on-call and responding to incidents, as well as working as a team with the other crew members. I’m really enjoying the experience and I’m looking forward to developing my career in the Fire and Rescue Service.”

Cian’s uncle Hefin also spent more than10 years as an on-call firefighter and currently works as a member of the service’s people and organisational development department. Combined, all four family members have almost 90 years of service.

All four agreed that working as firefighters provide great job satisfaction and is a highly rewarding career. More information on on-call firefighter recruitment can be found on Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s website.