A FORMER ambulance chief who played a major role in the response to the Bradford City fire disaster has died aged 80 at his Shipley home.

John Davis served as West Yorkshire Chief Ambulance Officer for 13 years between 1974 and his early retirement in 1987.

He quit the £30,000-a-year post in protest at £2 million funding cuts he said would put the safety of the public at risk.

Speaking at the time, Mr Davis said the service was "in his blood," and "not just a job of work," adding: "The whole of my life has been spent in giving and improving a service to the community, and there is no way I can be party to see it mutilated."

Born in St Alban's, Hertfordshire, in December 1933, Mr Davis started his 30-year career as an ambulance driver in Taunton, Somerset, before moving to work in Scunthorpe, where he was involved in the response to the Flixborough chemical plant explosion in 1974, just before his move to West Yorkshire.

He and his family moved to Cullingworth for his new role, before also living in Saltaire, Heaton, and Nab Wood in Shipley.

Mr Davis's son Mark, 52, recalled the dedication his father gave to his job during his time in charge of the West Yorkshire service.

"He was fiercely proud of his work, it was his life," he said. "He worked to protect the public and the main reason he retired was because of the cuts.

"He had strong principles to try to ensure services like the NHS were run properly.

"He took the lead on the day of the fire disaster, organising the temporary morgue at the ambulance station on Northside Road."

After his retirement, Mark said his father had "kept himself busy" by setting up a lathe in his garage and teaching himself woodwork.

"He made beautiful oak furniture, and a lot of relatives and friends will probably remember him best for that," he said.

Andy Simpson, head of emergency operations in West Yorkshire at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust - who started as a cadet in 1984, said Mr Davis was well regarded as a "visionary leader".

"He introduced a number of schemes that have shaped the modern service as we know it today, including the cadet scheme and the implementation of paramedic training for ambulance staff to administer drug therapy, defibrillation and advanced airway management," said Mr Simpson.

“He was also a true support to the ambulance staff who attended the Bradford City fire, and was personally involved in the recovery phase.”

Mr Davis died at his home after suffering heart failure last Friday having undergone two heart bypass operations and had a pacemaker fitted in later life.

His cremation will take place at Nab Wood Crematorium on Friday, October 3, with donations going towards the British Heart Foundation.

As well as his son Mark, he leaves his wife Patricia-Ann, daughter Michelle, three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.