The first thing that strikes one about Lieutenant Michael Mullan, besides his humble, relaxed nature is the alertness of his eyes.

He watches the world as if prepared for anything, yet they are not critical but open.

They are the eyes of a man who has seen a range of life changing events, some would argue he has seen hell many times. Many would agree he is a member of our homegrown heroes, firefighters.

After 37 years of service, Lt. Mullan will be officially retiring in July from the Bermuda Fire Service. He remembers himself at the eager age of eight, being captivated by firefighters.

He would run from Prospect to the Hamilton Station to clean the fire engines, wanting to be around when the bells went off "one for brush fire, two for structure, and three for major fires", he fondly remembers.

After months of his hanging about, the firefighters contacted his parents warning them that he could get hurt. But his interest never waned.

In 1965 he followed in the tradition of his family, entering community service.

His father was a Policeman and his mother was a nurse for the Health Department.

Lt. Mullan volunteered for the Hamilton Fire Brigade, and went full time as a firefighter at the US Navy Fire Department in Southampton.

In 1967 he joined the Hamilton Brigade full time.

During this time that Lt. Mullan, part of a team of about 24 fighters, supplemented by volunteers, was caught up in the political upheval of the time.

They were called into action during the 1968 riots. Unfortunately, this wouldn't be the last time. In 1972, he promoted to Leading Firefighter, and in 1974 he became a Sergeant, and in 1979 he was promoted to Lieutenant. In 1977, he was on the frontline as Bermuda moved into one of its darkest phases.

Unrest simmered, exploding into riots in December. Fires erupted around the island. Mullan and his team of men responded to a call at the Southampton Princess.

"We had about thirty five people trapped on the sixth floor. Although it wasn't a spectacular fire from the outside, inside was a roaring inferno," he said.

"We swung a firefighter, Davis, if I remember over from the roof to try to encourage the people not to use sheets to climb down, to stay where they were.

"We obviously needed more firefighters to fight this fire, but we couldn't get them.

"When we looked out of the fifth floor we could see Hamilton burning, so we had to deal with what we had.

"Unfortunately three people died in that fire, two visitors and one security guard."

Lt. Mullan's stamina never ceased for service.

He is a man driven by a need to help people and he understands that training and skill prepares one best for giving back to one's own community.

From that point till now Lt. Mullan has seen and been a part of many changes within the Service.

From the inclusion of female firefighters, to the closure of the US Naval Fire Department at Kindley Field, to spending the last ten years training future officers, the Service now employs 100 full time firefighters.

(The St. George's Fire Department is separate, and is staffed by volunteers).

Lt. Mullan has studied extensively, completing numerous courses in the UK, Canada and the United States.

Lt. Mullan tells his trainees "Just because we don't get it, doesn't mean we won't", and he advocates extensive training, saying that he would like to see more funding for it. He totally understands that training is the key to preparation.

The Fire Service over the years has moved beyond just dealing with fire to include hazardous waste removal, responding to medical calls where they are often first on the scene, and fire prevention.

After September 11th, the media and public have fallen in love with their firefighters, a long overdue tribute to who some would call "everyday" men and women who are quick to put their training into action and their lives on the line.

When asked what he thought made up the breed of people we know as firefighters, Lt. Mullan quickly pointed out that similar people can be found around the world. During most of his travels he has met other firefighters who share the same ideals. The same happens when vacationing firefighters make it a priority to check out their Bermudian counterparts.

"Fire fighting is in your blood, we look out for each other, you always want to help people. You don't think about your own life, you think about the other lives. September 11th affected all of us, it brought a lot of things home..." he said.

He talks candidly about what the rest of us would be shocked at, especially concerning the health of fighters.

"When I was coming up, you had to show you could take a lot of smoke. Now we realise that anyone withover twenty or twenty five years (in service) they have problems, because we took in all those chemicals and gases," he said. Down the road you have kidney problems, aches and pains...It's too late for us, but the main thing is to make sure that the younger firefighters always wear breathing apparatus"

Another of Lt. Mullan's cathphrases "Rank is something you wear, Respect is something you earn", something which he wholeheartedly believes. There shouldn't be any doubt that Lt. Mullan hasn't earned respect.

He has put 37 years into a service most of us till recently never quite thought about. Or if we did we joked about them saving kittens out of trees.

He has willingly worked hard to ensure that he and his teams would be there to effectively do the best they can when lives are in peril. Mr. Mullan can recount tragic stories of seeing Bermudians lost to flames, but he is enormously proud of the community of fighters and the dedication they have in preventing as much loss of life as possible.

After 37 years one might think Michael Mullan would want to take a much deserved break. When asked what his plans are for the future he said: "I'll keep in contact with them (firefighters).

"But I'll be taking it easy, boating, golfing, fishing, my wife has lots of projects for me," he smiles, adding: "I love people, I would like to do something in the hospitality industry, maybe work with tourist...show them the best side of Bermuda."