HAVING served the community for 15 years, Malmesbury firefighter Ollie Smith is waving goodbye to his crew.

Born and bred in the town, Ollie, 36, is leaving the fire service so he can spend more time with his family.

“My kids are seeing me disappear all time the time for emergency calls and it’s starting to get to them,” he said.

“Calls always come in at the wrong time, when you’re putting them to bed or when you’re about to watch a film. My pager will go off and then I disappear.”

Though he’ll be spending more time with his family at home, Ollie says he feels like he’ll be leaving another one behind.

“The crew are kind of like my second family,” he said.

“I’m walking away from a group of guys and girls after 15 years of commitment. It’ll be strange to adapt to it I suppose, but I’m looking forward to my freedom.

“It’s definitely been an interesting and exciting job for the last 15 years.

“I’ve enjoyed every minute and I’ll probably miss it to be fair; I’ve got very good memories.”

Ollie will continue his work with his electrical company in Malmesbury, O & J Electrical Services.