Tributes pour in as Staffordshire firefighter dies aged 51

Dave Hill, who was based at Longton in Stoke, died in hospital in the city on Sunday.

The firefighter for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service's Green Watch had recently been promoted to crew manager, after working for the service for 31 years.

Mr Hill had worked as an on-call firefighter since August 1990 before joining as a full-time firefighter in October 2000.

His career saw him work throughout Staffordshire, including at Burton and Hanley, where he took on temporary crew manager roles since 2008 and became a permanent crew manager on December 16 last year.

Chief fire officer, Rob Barber, said: “We are devastated and shocked by the sudden and unexpected death of our well-respected colleague, Dave.

“Dave will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked alongside him.

“He was a well-liked and dedicated professional firefighter who worked to make a difference to the communities he served.

“Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.”

Mr Hill was also the guitarist of an indie-rock band from Stoke-on-Trent called Magnetic Jellyfish.

A spokesman for the group said: "Just to let everyone know that we have had the most devastating news imaginable. Dave has sadly passed away.

"We are all in shock and our thoughts are with his family. He is and always will be our hero. He is loved by so many and we thank you all for your kind words of support."