When Brett Green retired from the British Army as a sergeant, heknew he couldn’t just pick up a desk job somewhere, so he lookedinto being a police officer.

But in England, there are height restrictions, and the compactnative Irishman was a little under the limit.

“They told me I was tall enough to be a woman reservist,” hesaid. “I had to decline because I don’t look so good in a skirt. Idon’t have the legs.”

So Green, on the advice of a friend in the fire service, joinedthe Lincolnshire Fire Department, where he has now served for 10years and is a Leading Firefighter, which translates to roughly alieutenant.

For at least the next two weeks, however, he is a guest inBrookhaven. Tuesday he spent time at Brookhaven Fire Department,seeing the sights and meeting the people.

“This is excellent,” he said. “You’ve got really nicetrucks.”

Green comes to the states after a win-win situation while he wasplaying in an online poker tournament, where he met Brookhaven’sMona Elkins. The Lincoln Countian and the Lincolnshire residentended up in the finals together, and they hit it off.

“I don’t even remember who won,” he said with a laugh.

Green landed in Atlanta and flew into Jackson Friday. Hisluggage went on to Washington, but luckily was returned to him in aday or so.

Since then, Green has seen some of the sights, but he said hehas plenty of time to see the rest during his trip.

“You drive on the wrong side of the road over here,” he said,adding that on a return trip from Natchez, Elkins had asked him todrive and he was afraid he’d end up in the wrong lane.

He said the food has also been good so far, citing “crayfish” assomething he’d really enjoyed.

But in the States, we don’t quite compare on breakfast.

He said in England, they eat a big first meal of the day. Thetypical fare includes two sausages, two pieces of bacon, two eggs,fried bread, beans, tomatoes and black pudding. But he’s learningabout Southern American cuisine.

“We’re doing gumbo later on this week,” he said through histhick Irish brogue.

Meanwhile, he was able to rub elbows with local firefighters andtalk shop.

They compared station routines, response procedures andapparatus. In America, those things called “trucks” or “engines,”while in England, they’re called “wagons.”

They also swapped stories, and Green told Brookhavenfirefighters of a time his engine company dealt with a set ofrisers that collapsed with about 5,000 people on it. The firedepartment was called out to help cut the people free of thewreckage.

The next morning, one of the men they had freed without muchincident came back to say thank you. He had gotten a cut on hishead, and he said during procedures at the hospital, they had useda glue solution to seal the cut closed, then they put him in an MRImachine to check for head damage.

“When he tried to get out, it turned out his head was glued tothe scanner,” Green said. “I told him, ‘You’ve got to wait here soI can go get all the guys because they’ll never believe this if Itell them.'”

Local firefighters enjoyed the visit Tuesday, and said theyhoped Green would visit often while he’s in town.

“We’re happy to have him here,” said Fire Chief Tony Weeks.”We’re excited getting to have a visitor from another country,especially someone we can communicate with.”

Weeks said there have been plenty of other visitors toBrookhaven stations, but the only other one from another countrywas from Brazil, and he spoke Portuguese.

And while Green is here, Weeks said, he’ll take him to meet cityofficials, and possibly even to attend a board of aldermenmeeting.

Green is taking it all in stride, and said he’s just glad to behere. And if his trip goes well, he might extend it, he said.

“I might stay longer,” he said. “I can think of worse places toget stuck.”