THEY are the Hampshire firefighters who have put out thousands of fires and rescued hundreds of people.

Now dad Mick, son Andy and grandad Percy Weeks have reached a major milestone as altogether they celebrated 100 years of service for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS).

Percy started the tradition becoming an on-call firefighter in 1954 and was followed by Mick in 1969.

They both worked at Liphook Fire Station.

Meanwhile, Andy, 43, joined them in 1992 and then worked at Rushmoor, Basingstoke, Winchester, Alresford and Droxford fire stations before becoming a trainer and station manager for the organisation’s academy.

He has recently marked his 25th anniversary with HFRS and said: "I think it says a lot about the service and the things it does that I am the third generation in a row to join up.

"It was the idea of helping people in the community that attracted me to HFRS and it seemed like a perfect fit.

"I can still recall my first shout – an automatic fire alarm on Christmas Day because somebody had burnt their Turkey. "We had to get up in the middle of our Christmas dinner – but my mum was used to it because of my dad."

Andy's dad Mick served for 45 years leaving as a watch manager, while Andy's grandad Percy clocked up 30 years as a firefighter.

Mick said: “When I started there was no breathing apparatus available and we would ride to jobs on the Bedford TK.

"All the firefighters brought skills from their fulltime jobs to the role. We had mechanics, fishermen and carpenters.

“We still had house bells in those days and as soon as that alert went adrenaline would kick in.”

He said he feels the culture of HFRS is one of the key things that drew in generations of his family and continues to attract hundreds of applicants to every full-time operational vacancy.

But as the trio hit the landmark birthday, the tradition is set to continue as Andy's son Thomas, 11, said to be interested in the fire service.