A senior firefighter is burning with pride as his on-call colleagues at Petersfield fire station have been shortlisted for a prestigious town award.

On-call firefighters at the Swan Street station have been nominated in the ‘Contribution to the Community’ category in the forthcoming Petersfield Awards.

They’re up against Leon Jenkins, Petersfield Men’s Shed and Hometown duo Ben Errey & Steve Jacob in a public vote with the winners being confirmed in a glittering awards ceremony on October 24.

The role of the town’s firefighters and their Hampshire counterparts has been highlighted even more this year because of their efforts during the Lavant Street fire.

On-call firefighters train once a week and respond to incidents when alerted, balancing their life-saving roles alongside work and family commitments.

They are also involved in reach-out initiatives to the local community to promote their role and deliver vital fire safety messaging.

An independent panel of judges agreed that Petersfield’s firefighters were worthy of being shortlisted with station manager, Adam Bundle, saying HRFS is “so proud of the incredible work they do”.

He said: “The crew are a dedicated team who come together to make life safer in their neighbourhood.”

He added: “As on-call firefighters, they live and work near to the station, so naturally they are embedded in their community.

“But their commitment to helping others, and responding to incidents around the clock, shows why they are so deserving of this nomination.”

Messrs Errey and Jacob have been nominated for putting on community events, like the seasonal festivals in the town centre, for more than a decade, while Mr Jenkins has got the nod for his role in the Big Spring Clean.

And then there’s the Men’s Shed, who can fix, refurbish and produce almost anything with the initiative also being great for mental health and wellbeing.