MOST retirees look forward to putting their feet up and relaxing once their working life comes to an end.

But Oxfordshire’s ‘Mr Defibrillator’ Dick Tracey is no ordinary retiree, or worker.

Ambulance Commander Mr Tracey officially left South Central Ambulance Service on Wednesday after 23 years.

Colleagues and friends paid tribute to the 61-year-old, who they described as ‘the most kind-hearted person you’ll ever meet’.

And as he spoke about his many achievements, Mr Tracey said he’d be spending his time helping to raise money for and installing even more public-access defibrillators across the county.

Known as ‘Mr Defib’, Mr Tracey launched his Start a Heart campaign in 2014 and has taken the number of devices from 120 to more than 500 in Oxfordshire.

Across the whole South Central Ambulance Service area, which includes Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Hampshire, Mr Tracey and his team have increased the number of defibrillators to almost 1,500.

The Oxford Mail backed Mr Tracey’s campaign when it first launched and has continued to highlight its success over the years and raise awareness.

Thanking everyone for their support Mr Tracey said: “It has been an absolute privilege to have worked with so many people over the years who think more about others than they do of themselves.

"The number of defibrillators continues to rise and with the Oxford Mail’s help I have been able to spread the message across the county.”

Mr Tracey has helped countless communities install the life-saving devices and trained hundreds of people to use them.

Melanie Grimsdale, parish councillor in Ibstone, near Stokenchurch, went to Mr Tracey’s retirement farewell. She said: “If it wasn’t for Mr Tracey’s dedication and help we wouldn’t have been able to get the device installed.”

Joining the service in 1994 after a spell in the RAF, Mr Tracey, who lives in West Oxfordshire, trained as a paramedic, technician and worked as a driver in the Patient Transport Service.

He has taken on various roles and qualifications since and was the first person to suggest recruiting volunteer first responders in the ambulance service. In 1999 he trained the first recruits and now there are about 200 volunteers who regularly help save lives across Oxfordshire.

Paul Jefferies, assistant director of operations at SCAS, said Mr Tracey would be sorely missed and added: “He not only delivers excellence, he epitomises it. He will be remembered for his commitment to the community and to patient experience.”

Mark Begley, head of operations across Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, said nobody would be able to replace Mr Tracey. He added: “There are characters and there are characters and we have had Dick. I say that in the nicest possible way, we’re going to miss him so much.”

Mr Tracey’s wife Heather paid tribute to her husband’s dedication over the years and said: “He always works very hard and never complains about anything.”

Reflecting on ‘phase one’ of his career, as he calls it, Mr Tracey simply said: “It has been a blast.”