TIMOTHY White, chief fire officer of Oxfordshire for nearly 30 years, was responsible for a revolutionary piece of cutting equipment.

Nicknamed the Tin Opener, it was designed to free victims from a wrecked car or lorry without using any kind of spark or flame.

He came up with the idea after becoming appalled at the horrific road accidents to which his crews were called.

It was an idea that was soon copied all over the country, as well as abroad.

It is thought that hundreds of lives were saved as a result of the invention.

Mr White became the county’s fire chief in 1948, when the National Fire Service was abolished and responsibility was handed back to local authorities.

But his introduction to Oxfordshire was hardly welcoming.

He once recalled: “When I took up the job, I had only 10 full-time firemen and one officer. My headquarters was a tin hut in Witney, with buckets to catch the water.”

Later, he moved to headquarters at Fletchers House, Woodstock, now the home of the Oxfordshire Museum.

In 1964, new headquarters were opened in Kidlington.

When he retired in 1974, the county had 17 fire stations, sophisticated equipment and a modern communications system.

Throughout his career, Mr White courted publicity for the fire service, to drive home the importance of fire prevention.

He once wrote to television companies suggesting they introduce more fire incidents into programmes.

He said: “The police get all sorts of publicity in programmes like Z Cars and Softly, Softly, but we tend to miss out.

“When they want to get rid of someone in a series, he could die from a fire caused by smoking in bed, pointing out the danger of the habit.”

Mr White worked for an estate agent and a building society before joining the London Fire Brigade in 1939.

He served through the London Blitz, then moved to Plymouth. He then had a spell working for the Home Office before taking charge in Oxfordshire.