Keith steps down after 57 years on the 999 frontline
AMBULANCEMAN LOOKS BACK ON REWARDS – AND TRAGEDIES – OF HIS CAREER
AN ambulanceman has retired after nearly 57 years on the frontline.
Keith Thrower started his career in Leicester’s Welford Road Ambulance Station in March 1964 when he was 20, having dreamed of working for the ambulance service since he was 14.
When he reached 65, he did not feel like retiring. He gave up his managerial role as a team leader at Lutterworth ambulance station and returned to being a team member on the frontline.
Among innumerable car crashes, house fires and other emergencies over the years was an M1 tragedy near Lutterworth in June 2003, when five people died after a car hit an Army transporter.
“All these tanks had fallen off the back of their transporter and it was terrible,” said Keith, who received the Queen’s Ambulance Medal in 2015 in recognition of his long service.
“We were the first on the scene and it was chaos. We immediately called for more ambulances.
“As we were going to help people, we were constantly assessing the situation: how many people are hurt; were there any fires; or was there going to be an explosion?
“I remember climbing into the back of one van which had been crushed. It was an old Ford Escort van and the man in the back was trapped so I helped him.
“Then there was another van that had an armoured vehicle on top of it. The man in that van was clearly already dead.
“But it’s like other jobs – you just have to cope with it and get on with helping people.
“I’ve been to many house fires and things like that. You just come to accept things or you can’t do the job.
“When I first started I’d find my heart was racing on the way to emergencies. “Later, you just think about getting there and seeing what’s what when you arrive. “Sometimes with car crashes, a slight bump can be fatal, and a huge crash – particularly with modern cars – can leave huge wrecks but no serious injuries.” Being over 70, Keith was stood down from the frontline when the Covid-19 pandemic began, returning to work in the summer to deliver protective clothing to ambulance stations.
He said his colleagues were facing a tough time due to the pandemic.
“I’ve been in many situations where a 12-hour shift becomes a 14-hour shift, often because you have to wait to drop off a patient at hospital,” said the grandfather, who lives in Dunton Bassett.
“But these days it’s even worse than that and things have been stressful for people I’ve spoken to.”
Keith has been married to Pat for 53 years. The couple have two children and four grandchildren.
He said that, at 76, he now felt it was time to retire properly from East Midlands Ambulance Service. His career lasted 56 years, eight months and 28 days.
Keith said: “It’s a very rewarding career and I am incredibly lucky to have worked with some wonderful people.
“The ambulance service has been my life.”
It’s a very rewarding career and I am incredibly lucky to have worked with some wonderful people. Keith thrower