Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service has honoured Yamazaki Mazak with one of its inaugural Employer Awards.
The company, one of the first ever recipients of the award, has been recognised for releasing employees to serve as on-call firefighters in the Worcester and Hereford regions.
Christian Leatherdale, a technical support engineer at Yamazaki Mazak's Worcester-based European manufacturing plant also holds the position of watch commander for the fire service.
He manages a crew of 17 and has balanced his role at the company with seven years of service at Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.
Mr Letherdale said: "If I’m on duty and my pager goes, I have to be at the fire station within five minutes.
"That’s regardless of whether I’m at home or at work, so there’s been a few meetings cut short while I’ve been at the office."
Despite potential interruptions, he expresses appreciation for Mazak's understanding and practical support to help him fulfil both roles.
He continued: "The company’s been very understanding and supportive.
"I have a space in the visitors’ car park to reduce any delay in responding which makes it easier to access when I get a call out.
"I’m very thankful to the business for helping me continue as an on-call firefighter and rise to Crew Commander and then Watch Commander.
"They’re definitely worthy recipients of this award."
Richard Smith, European group managing director at Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd, added: "Being able to help Christian keep our community safe has been a privilege, and we’ve been delighted to see him rise through the ranks within the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.
"We are honoured to receive the Fire Officer’s Employer Award and will continue to support Christian as he performs his vital duties as a Watch Commander."
As part of Mr Leatherdale's roles as watch commander, he attends obligatory training sessions every Monday evening.
He has developed a high skill set in health and safety, risk assessments, first response emergency care, and attending fires and road traffic collisions.
As a result, he has risen from apprentice in the maintenance department to the ranks of crew commander then watch commander in his 10 years at Mazak.
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