ARE there any firefighting teams that have worked together for as long as the men of Fordingbridge fire station?

That is the question being posed by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Leading Fireman Oxford was the first at Fordingbridge to earn the Long Service Good Conduct Medal when he clocked up 20 years back in 1961.

Since then a total of 18 from the station have been awarded the medal and 10 of them are still working together today.

Together they have amassed 263 years with the service.

Among the retained (part-time) crew is watch manager Steve Coles, who this year completes his 37th year in the job.

"We're just one big family really. Fordingbridge is a close-knit community," he said.

"Most of us have been brought up together, born and bred in Fordingbridge, and we're here to serve our own community.

"Twenty-five years ago we were probably the youngest team around. Now we're the old men," he said.

That means they have a wealth of experience; vital when they have about 200 "shouts" a year, when they have to drop everything to get out on the road in double-quick time.

Shouts in the past two decades have included a helicopter crash which claimed the lives of two at Martin Down and numerous road accidents, mainly on the A338.

There have been fires at business premises and in homes, many at thatched cottages.

"We probably have more thatch fires in our area than any other in Hampshire. We're experts," said Mr Coles.

In days gone by firemen had to leave the service when they reached the age of 55. Now they can carry on longer if they are fit enough.

Watch manager Coles is 54 and reckons he has a few more years before he calls it a day.