‘A real leader’ - Peterborough’s longest-serving Fire Chief retires

Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade’s longest serving fire officer has stepped down, forty years after he first joined up.

Station Commander Tony De Matteis waved goodbye to his colleagues on Tuesday (April 4) after notching up four decades of dedicated service.

A reflective Tony told the Peterborough Telegraph that joining the country’s only surviving volunteer fire brigade was the “the best decision I ever made”

"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time,” he said, adding: “I had a big black moustache and black hair when I started - and now it’s all grey.”

Tony joined the brigade in 1982, and successfully completed his firefighter training in 1984. This was the same year the brigade celebrated its 100th anniversary and moved from its former King’s Street station to its current Bourges Boulevard home.

Looking back over his forty years, Tony – who still works as a prison officer – said he “can’t express how rewarding” his career has been:

“I’ve worked with some good people, seen things people don’t normally see, and had opportunities to do things that most people haven’t been able to do."

Tony and his volunteer colleagues have attended some of the city's biggest callouts, including the inferno at the Greyhound Stadium in 1999, the blaze at Peterborough Cathedral in 2001, and the fire at the old Toys R Us site in 2019.

However, the 60-year-old is adamant that, after so many years of being on-call, now is the right time to call it a day:

"It’s time now for me to give the time back to my family because they very much deserve it.”

Tony will be sorely missed by his crew at the station.

Anthony Gould, watch commander and second officer at Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, described Tony as “a real leader” and spoke for all his colleagues when he said: “He will be a massive loss for us and the wider fire service.”

“He’s been an inspiration to us all.”

Anthony was able to put a positive spin on Tony’s departure however: "He’s passed on all of his knowledge,” he noted, “so hopefully the volunteer fire brigade will continue for years to come.”