LANCASHIRE'S Chief Fire Officer Peter Holland went back to floor to join firefighters for a 15-hour shift with Green Watch at Burnley during the night.

Then after a shower and breakfast it was back into a suit and off to county fire headquarters for a management meeting and another day at the office in charge of Lancashire's 1,000 full-time and 500 part-time officers and 180 non-uniformed personnel.

Mr Holland spent his last hour with the lads at a major deisel spillage in Burnley, helping to lift manhole covers to check whether the fuel had leaked into the water courses and nearby river.

He said: "I wanted to see what life was really like in a fire station 23 years after I last rode on a fire engine."

He joined the shift at 6pm yesterday and, as fate would have it, the quietest Sunday evening for a long time.

The first 'shout' was not until they were called to the diesel spillage at about 7am.

Mr Holland said: "I have had the opportunity to talk to the staff about problems on the station. "I also went for a look around the area and to see for myself the difficult problem of access on some of the narrow streets because of parked cars. I would appeal now to the people of Burnley to ensure the road is wide enough for fire engines to get through. If we have to park 100 metres away from a fire it will take us that much longer to deal with the incident.

"We left leaflets on some cars parked near junctions."

Mr Holland said his night back on the 'shop floor' was not a gimmick and he had not been expecting publicity. "One of the most important things for anyone heading up an organisation is to fully understand what it is really like at the sharp end,' he said.

"While I have only been out on this one incident this morning, the last 15 hours have given me the opportunity to share with the personnel their thoughts and their concerns. It is an experience which will help me when I have to make decisions for the future."

Mr Holland said he had been thinking for some time about working a full shift as an ordinary firefighter.

"I am striving to ensure that in Burnley and in Lancashire we are providing the best fire and rescue service possible. Only by keeping in touch with firefighters in the stations will I be able to do that. It has truly been very enjoyable.

"We have excellent people working for us throughout the organisation and the experience of the last 15 hours has renewed my confidence in the workforce."

Mr Holland took over as boss of the county force in July last year after a period as head of the Bedfordshire and Luton combined fire authority.