Alexander's work as a volunteer firefighter for the Saratoga Fire District is much appreciated by his peers. They elected the London transplant, who turned 50 this year, Firefighter of the Year for 2005.

Alexander was the top vote-getter when the Saratoga Fire District's 22 full-time firefighters and 18 volunteers held their annual secret ballot for the honor in December.

"It's pretty awesome that they would do that for me," Alexander said. "There are a lot of outstanding people there that do a lot of outstanding things, so I was surprised."

Alexander came to the U.S. from England in 1981. He now lives in Campbell with his wife and three sons. He had always wanted to work as a firefighter, but when he first moved to the Bay Area, fighting fires was largely a volunteer effort. Pay for full timers was low then and Alexander had a family to support.

In 1997, Alexander's son, Nicholas, began volunteering as a firefighter during his senior year of high school. In 1999, Alexander joined his son as a volunteer in Saratoga. "It was always one of his interests and he saw how much fun I was having and decided to give it a go," the younger man said.

The two have since fought several fires together. Nicholas recalled one residential fire on Thanksgiving Day a few years ago when father and son answered an emergency call. "My mom was upset because we didn't get back until late that night," Nicholas explained.

Working together took some getting used to. "At first it was kind of strange," Nicholas said. "Now I think it's cool from the aspect that not many fathers and sons get to do that. It's neat having that kind of bond with your dad."

Although Alexander was surprised to be selected firefighter of the year, it wasn't a surprise for Nicholas. "He puts in a lot of extra time and work," Nicholas said. "He takes the lead on a lot of things and helps the younger guys along."

Battalion Chief Joe Parker described Alexander as a skilled and dedicated firefighter. Parker said that Alexander's reliability and training were an asset, which helped augment the full timers. "Tony is one of the few volunteers who is trained to drive the engines," Parker said.

Volunteers are trained in the basics of firefighting, Parker explained. Most work full time at other jobs and come in when the department pages them during emergencies. "If we have a big emergency, we can use their help. They don't get paid a salary, but if their pager goes off and they come in, they get paid for the call. Some do this for the experience. That's not the case with Tony. He does it because he likes it and he wants to help the community."

"The opportunity came up to join the department," Alexander said. "It was something I always wanted to do. I've learned a lot and made some really good friends. It's a great place to be."