He has spent the last 50 years risking his life tackling some of the worst fires in Hampshire’s history.

But now Martyn Long has made it into the history books himself – as the first member of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to clock up an incredible half a century of fire fighting.

The 67-year-old joined the service back in 1964, the same year that Top of the Pops first aired on TV, The Beatles released their first album and England’s 1966 World Cup triumph was still a mere pipedream.

And now he has been honoured for his five decades of service, which has seen him serve at stations across the county, including Winchester and Lyndhurst.

During his remarkable tenure, Martyn has dealt with some of the biggest emergencies in Hampshire’s history, helping to tackle the Winchester Guildhall fire in 1969, the Mobil Petrel tanker crisis in 1989 and the Poles Lane incinerator blaze five years later.

He even put in an astonishing 35-hour shift during the Great Storm of 1987, putting himself in harm’s way to help residents across Hampshire escape the most destructive weather the south coast has ever seen.

Grandfather-of-one Martyn, from West End, has been honoured for his dedication with a landmark long service medal.

He said: “If anyone had suggested in 1964 that I would still be working for the fire service in 50 years, I would have laughed out loud.

“I left school aged 17 not knowing what career path I wanted to follow.

“I have had, and still have, many good friends in the service, and the various jobs have been hugely fulfilling and interesting.”

Martyn highlighted the Mobil Petrel tanker crisis as the most testing challenge of his career, but recalled a lucky escape he had while tackling the Winchester Cathedral blaze just five years into his tenure.

“The whole roof was alight and I was at the top of a staircase when the roof just caved in,” he said.

High-profile “I just remember dust and smoke surrounding me as the rafters came down and I thankfully got out alive.”

During his distinguished career with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, Martyn has held a number of high-profile roles including divisional commander for Eastleigh and senior divisional officer for operations at headquarters.

He has outlasted six chief officers, with newly-appointed chief Dave Curry set to become his seventh boss when he takes the reins in January.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s current chief officer, John Bonney, said: “During 50 years of selfless service with HFRS, we have benefited enormously from Martyn’s experience and hard work.

“It is a real accolade to Martyn and I thank him for his dedicated commitment to the service.”