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Thursday, 31st January 2008 (4151 views)

A US firefighter has been presented with a gold retirement watch to commemorate his record-breaking 39 years in the service, according to reports.

New York state's Press and Sun-Bulletin said 64-year-old Gary E Cate of Norwich, New York, was presented with the watch for being the longest-serving professional firefighter in the city's history.

Mr Cate, nicknamed The General, also holds records as the city's longest-serving employee and as the longest-serving president of the George L Rider Hook & Ladder Volunteer Fire Co, which he joined in 1964.

He joined Norwich's professional service in 1968 and was still on active call-out duty on the day of his retirement, when he attended a chimney fire in the southeast of the city, the newspaper reports.

It adds that many colleagues thought Mr Cate would never retire and the city's acting fire chief, Joseph Angelino, said that the service would lose "a lot of corporate knowledge" with his departure.

The city's mayor, Joseph Maiurano, also paid tribute to Mr Cate, saying he had "set an example for others to follow".

Norwich is located in upstate New York, approximately 190 miles from New York City.

 

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