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| Bahri Mustafa, serving as a firefighter |
Bahri Mustafa, or as his British friends otherwise know him, Baz, left his homeland 17 years ago and is currently part of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service fire brigade.
The 40-year-old settled in the Gateshead region nearly 2 decades ago. Shortly after his arrival, Baz applied to become a firefighter, fulfilling a childhood dream.
He spent 15 years serving his community in Gateshead before moving across the Tyne River where he is now housed at West Denton Community Fire Station.
The father of two was inspired as a child to become a firefighter after his father had an accident that took him to the hospital with severe burns.
Now Baz is urging others who have settled in the UK to consider following in his footsteps after TËFRS launched their final round of recruitment.
He said: "It was very difficult to leave my country as soon as the war broke out, but I knew I needed to stay safe. It was scary and isolating when I first arrived in the UK but found my place in TWFRS.
"My friend told me I had to apply because I had all the qualities to become a good firefighter, I am capable and passionate about safety and helping people and I knew it would be a good fit for me.
"So I applied and went through it, the training was hard, but I did not expect anything less because it helps you understand that every time you put on your fire bag, the responsibility is on your shoulders.
"I mean, it's 17 years later and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would definitely do it, I love this job, my kids are very proud of the work I do."
Baz says one of the most important skills as a firefighter is compassion and being able to be close to people in some of their lowest moments.
He said: "You have to really put yourself in the place of people in this job, you often show up for a job and people are in the worst situation, so you have to think fast and change the way you speak.
"Interacting with the public is a big part of what we do and you never know what's going on in someone's life, so compassion is so important."
And today one of the TWFRS top firefighters thanked Baz for his service and encouraged others to join him.
Assistant Chief of Staff Lynsey McVay said: "There are people like Baz who make our service so fantastic, they are so passionate about their roles and keep people safe as it can be contagious.
"It does not matter where you come from, it does matter who you are and why you want to help people, that is what we are interested in.