A fire chief is retiring after spending three decades serving West Yorkshire Fire Service, but said he would do it all again tomorrow.

Keith Robinson, 50, is retiring from the force after a career spanning 32 years with more than half of that spent working in Bradford.

He was the district commander in Kirklees until yesterday and has worked in 20 positions at 16 different fire stations across West Yorkshire, including stations in Queensbury, Odsal, Shipley, Fairweather Green and Bradford.

At one point in his career he was the district commander for the Bradford district.

Mr Robinson said: “Being a district commander for Bradford was quite special as I am from Bradford. In this role I was in charge of all of the stations in the district.

“It has all been great and I would do it all again tomorrow.”

One of the highlights of his career was becoming the first firefighter in West Yorkshire to be promoted straight from a Sub Officer to a Station Commander, missing out the rank of Station Officer, which he said is unheard of.

During his long career in the force he has attended some memorable incidents. One which he said had stuck in his mind was the bad flooding in 2007 in the Shipley and Keighley area, which saw him rescue a woman from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

He said: “I will never forget that day, it feels like yesterday I remember it so clearly. The sheer force of the water was immense. With fires you can have an element of control but the natural force of water it is a different matter.

“It was one of the scariest experiences I’ve had. I remember seeing a skip flowing down the canal which shows how powerful the water was.

“Another incident which sticks in my mind involved a shop fitter working in a unit in Forster Square about nine years ago. A steel piece fell from the roof and was stuck in his eye. It was about the width of a five pence piece.

“We helped him at the scene and he was then taken to hospital. Later on we received a call from the hospital asking us to assist surgeons in theatre by cutting the piece of metal down.

“We did and amazingly he retained his sight.”

Born in Queensbury, Mr Robinson followed in the footsteps of his father who was also a firefighter.

Between father and son, they dedicated 51 years to fire services in West Yorkshire.

Mr Robinson said during his 32 years his weekly average was 72 hours, so now he is looking forward to a relaxing retirement and has a couple of holidays planned.