David Turley: Blue watch, Worksop Fire Station
Being in the fire service is all I wanted to do. I originally joined as an on-call firefighter and did this alongside my full-time job before joining as a wholetime firefighter through the migration programme which recruits only from the on-call service.
I have struggled with my mental health for a long time. At first, I did not tell my fire service as I thought that there was a lack of understanding about mental health and I didn’t feel there was any support. When everything began to spiral out of control I ended up back on medication. I got talking to my station manager who could see something wasn’t right and I told him everything. The fire service is very supportive and although I still have dark days, I work through it.
I love working as part of a team, saving people’s lives. The best part of my job is when those people come back to say thank you.