There is no doubt that Station Officer Steele is the Senior Fire Officer at Pontypandy Fire Station. His loud booming voice can often be heard giving orders and admonishing an unfortunate Elvis with the familiar cry of ‘Cridlington!’.
Another Steele phrase that has echoed around the Fire Station on many occasions is ‘Great tangled hoses!’ Usually when he’s been knocked over by a flying Dolly or slipped on one of Elvis’ oily rags.
With a stiff military bearing, Station Officer Steele issues terse orders to the lower ranks but his bark is worse than his bite. In fact, there is one thing guaranteed to bring out Steele’s soft and cuddly side, a cute little guinea pig called Norris.
Firefighting runs in Steele’s family. There is a statue of his father Daniel Steele – the first Station Officer of the Pontypandy Fire Service - in Pontypandy Park. Despite Steele’s advancing years he is always ready and eager to join the team out in the field. He’s at his happiest manning the mobile command unit or driving his beloved vintage railway fire engine, Bessie, through the mountains to put out inaccessible forest fires.
Steele loves acting and directing and has a flair for the theatre. He shining moment came when he played ‘the little old lady stuck in a cupboard’ for one of the team’s many fire drills. The Pontypandy Planet rated the performance as ‘Utterly Convincing’
FUN FACTS:
Steele loves a cup of tea, especially if Elvis makes it.
Steele does have a tendency to get seasick or airsick, especially if he’s riding in Wallaby Two and Tom Thomas is trying to shoo Woolly off the helipad by repeatedly going around in circles.
He is very competitive at Tiddlywinks. He once told team mate Elvis to ‘Tiddle those winks like you’ve never tiddled before!’
He has written a musical about his father’s heroic firefighting during the Great Coal Shed Fire of Pontypandy called ‘Hearts of Fire and Steele’.
