A dedicated community servant has been praised after serving in all three emergency services – as well as the military!

By day, Ryan Young works full-time at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service keeping people safe through the delivery of education sessions.

As a Prevention and Education district team member, he carries out lessons in schools, visits vulnerable people in their home and spreads safety messages to the community.

But by night, Ryan, 28-years-old, dedicates his spare time as a Special Constable at Northumbria Police and Emergency Ambulance Crew at St John’s Ambulance Service.

If that wasn’t enough, he is also a reservist with the British Army and could be deployed to provide support to soldiers on the front line.

Today (Wednesday) one of TWFRS’s senior firefighters have spoken of their pride at having Ryan on the team after he joined the Service at the end of last year.

Group Manager Steve Thomas, Head of TWFRS’s Prevention and Education Department, said: “Ryan is a fantastic asset to the Service and his dedication to his communities cannot be questioned.

“He has the compassion and empathy we look for in all employees at the fire service and his voluntary work speaks volumes for the kind of person he is.

“We will always support our staff in undertaking these roles and hope Ryan’s story can inspire others to follow in his footsteps.”

Prior to joining the Service in August 2022, Ryan had worked in a string of roles at Northumbria Police, from their front desk to their community engagement team.

He has volunteered with St John’s Ambulance since 2007 and has been a British Army reservist, based out of 103 Field Squadron based out of Newcastle, which form parts of 71 Engineer Regiment which covers units across the UK & NI since 2019.

Ryan, who is from South Tyneside, said: “I have a passion for helping people and that’s what the emergency services are all about.

“I’ve always found myself wanting to do more than just a job and volunteering in my spare time offers me the chance to do that.

“Having all this experience really does come in handy during my day job at TWFRS because it helps me look at the world a little differently and approach problems from all angles.

“I’d encourage anyone to get involved as a volunteer with any of our emergency services as the work you do can be life changing even if it’s something small.”

To find out about the fire safety messages Ryan spreads to keep our communities safe, visit the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service website at www.twfire.gov.uk.

You can also follow the work of the Service, and receive safety messages and good news story, by following them on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.