A MAN from Rhyl has published a novel dedicated to the firefighters he worked alongside during his time as a police officer.

Les Jones’ book Twelve Doors is set in the fictional, crumbling seaside town of Stockwood on Sea, and follows fire watch manager Leah Walsh and her crews as they tackle incidents.

The crews are involved in tragic, dangerous and emotive incidents, where animal cruelty and the loss of human life play out.

Les drew inspiration from his career as a police officer, having worked with fire crews in Rhyl, Abergele, Prestatyn and St Asaph.

“Having worked alongside many on call firefighters at incidents from when I was a serving police officer I felt their story needed telling - Twelve Doors is a platform for this,” Les told the Journal.

“I hope the novel demonstrates just how dedicated and committed these on call firefighters are and the importance they play in the wider community.

“Many people have no idea that just minutes before they were called out, these people were carrying out normal non-fire service related work duties - shopping, playing with the children, and one was even mid haircut when his alert sounded, arriving at the fire station with half a haircut.”

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The writing and research required took Les up to two years, with the author saying the result was “worth the time and effort”.

Les added: “I feel proud of Twelve Doors and privileged to have been given access to visit fire stations and to actually speak with real life on call firefighters during the writing of it, the visit to inside the breathing apparatus (BA) training facility was the icing on the cake.

“I would like to thank Ruth Bateman from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service for her help and support with fire station visits - nothing was too much trouble for her.”

Many landmarks in the Denbighshire area are referenced in the book, with a vlog set to be released detailing the locations that acted as inspiration.

Les continued: “Someone told me that we all have a book inside us and this is mine, about the hero living next door to you – this is their story.”

Twelve Doors is now available to buy on Amazon in paperback and kindle.

For more information about the book, visit 12doors.info.

Bells the Fire Dog, a spin off book for early readers, will be available on Amazon in the coming weeks.