Jez Lambley (Committee Member)

For those that don’t know I joined as a junior member in the early 90s and have been involved with the FSPG for well over 30 years and have been on and off the EC since 2003.  My fire service background includes growing up on a fairly busy retained station in Surrey and my first memories of the station appliances was a pair of Dennis F44’s. I then had the opportunity to train on one of them with my dad. My godfather was involved with Cranleigh School CCF which had its own fire section, I at the time was only 14 when I first started going on a Wednesday after school. I then, later in my career worked in Surrey F&R workshops as a HGV technician.

On leaving school I started my 20 plus year career as a HGV apprentice starting at a haulage company in Cranleigh, which also now happens to be one of our customers. In my 20 plus years of throwing spanners at lorries I’ve pretty much worked on most manufacturer’s vehicles and trailers, either in the workshop or on the side of the road. I do miss the days of not plugging a computer in to find out why the engine management light is on and having to listen feel and look to work out what’s not right, sometimes more obviously finding the con rod has punched a hole in the block! Having this background, it does makes restoring my own vehicles fairly easy, until we get to woodwork.  Being a member of the FSPG I do happen to own a fire appliance well actually three, can’t count the 4th as that’s the wife’s. My first long term appliance which I still own and pull my hair out with is an ex London Dodge G13 Locomotors D804FYM, been with me for 10 years now. I’ve done many a mile in the old girl mostly trouble free journeys.

Next purchase was the ERF Firefighter 2 another ex London appliance LYM630P currently undergoing complete restoration I’m well over halfway, just need to finish rubbing the cab down (looking for volunteers for motivation). The last addition to the fleet is another Dodge G13 Saxon D830FYM (glutton for punishment) which was saved by fellow member Terry Prince, we both saw this and another in a dealer’s yard in Essex some considerable years ago when on a salvage mission to obtain spares for our own trucks.

So, after some 15 years sat in the open Terry was going to use it as a donor for his but seamed a shame to break it being the last of the batch of 5 D reg’s made for London and I’ve ended up with it. It has the standard British tin worm so requires a fair bit of welding.  So, what do I do now I’ve been roped into running 1st Defense fire & rescue. Providing fire cover for the film and tv industry and supply fire extinguisher sales and servicing, and the odd customers fire engines and pumps for repairs.

I still get my hands dirty in the workshop and have to go in the office kicking and screaming (don’t like paperwork) to carry out day to day running of the business.  My advice is always free even better over a beer as there’s not much I don’t know about the mechanic side of things and can always give you a starting point on what to check first.