AFTER more than two decades on the frontline, firefighter Jonathan Stroker has seen just about everything.
“I am stationed at the Park Royal station,” he says, and like many in the service, his journey began with a simple idea and a leap of faith.
“It’s a boyhood dream for a lot of people, and I took the plunge. I saw it advertised one day, and I applied.”
Now a station officer on White Watch at Park Royal, Stroker leads a team of 11 firefighters, one of four watches that keep the station running around the clock.
“It’s a continuously rolling shift, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” he explains.
There is a diverse group of people at the Brigade, with many hailing from Ireland. “Marc Aston O’Donovan is from Cork, and he’s in charge of the whole station.”
Over 22 years, Stroker has responded to incidents ranging from routine call-outs to devastating tragedies.
“One really tragic one was the Sonia Gardens incident in Neasden in 2011,” he says.
"Unfortunately, children lost their lives in that house fire. There was a fridge under the stairs.”
But not every call ends in loss. Many involve saving lives in unexpected ways.
"We've helped people who are dealing with mental health crises on roofs and things like that. It’s such a varied list of jobs you go to.”
From road traffic collisions to gas leaks, stuck lifts to babies locked in cars, the modern firefighter’s role extends far beyond fighting flames.
“You name it and we’ve dealt with it,” he says. “There are some misconceptions with the public about what we do. It’s not just firefighting.”
Firefighter Rory Callan, family from Monaghan. Station Commander Marc Aston O'Donovan from Co. Cork. Station Officer Jonathan Stroker from Co. Roscommon (Photo by London Fire Brigade)A growing part of that role is prevention and education, especially around new risks.
“The lithium-ion battery charges, the batteries that are used in e-bikes and scooters, we’re really trying to get the word out.”
Improper charging and low-quality products have become a serious concern across London.
“We want to make sure people are charging them in a safe way. Not in communal passageways or flats, and using the correct chargers, and not buying them off dodgy websites or black-market stuff.”
He recalls a recent incident that highlights the danger.
“We had a situation recently where the e-bike scooter was on fire in a communal stairwell, and the upstairs couldn’t escape.”
"We had to take out the child via a ladder while we also dealt with a fire on the first floor.”
It is a problem he says is becoming increasingly common. “That is happening all over London all the time. It’s a real hot topic for us at the moment, if you’ll pardon the pun.”
Beyond emergency response, firefighters are also deeply involved in community outreach.
Stroker himself works with StreetLink, a charity supporting people sleeping rough.
“We had a fire a while back at the Kilburn jobcentre, and we didn’t know rough sleepers were staying there,” he says.
“It’s just about getting the message out, StreetLink is a really good charity.”
Day-to-day life at the station is a mix of preparation and prevention, and the job has evolved a lot over the years, particularly with the rise of new technologies.
“Nobody could have predicted the rise of lithium-ion batteries. Electric vehicles as well are a big one. Those fires are hard to put out.”
Still, the fundamentals remain unchanged. When the call comes in, instinct and training take over.
“You haven’t got time to stop and think.”
Above all, there is one guiding principle.
“Our priority is life. Life first, fire second and then any hazards,” he says.
“Who’s in there? Who needs to be taken out? That’s always the first priority, people and their safety.
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