Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has welcomed nine new on-call firefighters to stations across the county.
The group completed their phase one, 10-week training course in December, and are now ‘on the run’ and at their new stations in Cambridgeshire.
The initial training course gives them the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter, while they will receive ongoing training before being assessed again later in the year.
Wide range of emergencies
The on-call firefighters will now respond to a wide range of emergencies in their communities, which could include anything from rescuing people trapped in cars following a collision, to responding to a local house fire.
They might even be called to rescue a pet in need, or assist with a medical emergency. Many will do the role alongside other employment or around family life.
They may be at home, work, or out and about when they receive a pager alert and straight away they must jump into action and get ready to deal with any incident.
The recruits
The recruits are joining the following on-call stations:
- March fire station – March fire station welcomes three new recruits. Paul Smith, Shayla Nicholson (19) and Chris Lynn (26), who are now responding to calls from March.
- Manea fire station – Grahame Warby (37) joins the team at Manea fire station.
- Chatteris fire station – Two recruits have joined the team at Chatteris fire station. Josh Templemen (24) and Jack James (20) will now be responding to emergencies in their local area.
- Wisbech fire station – Daniel Rudkin (29) joins the on-call crew at Wisbech fire station.
- Gamlingay fire station – Alex Barnett is now a member of the crew at Gamlingay fire station.
- Soham – Darren Heslop (41) is a now serving the community in Soham.
Commitment and dedication
The latest cohort of firefighters have already demonstrated their outstanding commitment and dedication
Station Commander Scott Fretwell, who leads on the Service's on-call recruitment, commented, “We’re delighted to welcome nine new recruits to the Service. On-call firefighters are such a huge part of our fire and rescue service, responding to a whole range of incidents, from fighting fires, attending road traffic collisions, or animal rescues to promoting fire safety.”
“The latest cohort of firefighters have already demonstrated their outstanding commitment and dedication. Being an on-call firefighter is a challenging yet rewarding opportunity, and we wish them the very best as they start their journeys here in Cambridgeshire.”
“We rely heavily on the continued support of on-call firefighters and their families up and down the county It’s a paid role and our firefighters receive full and ongoing training for the job, supported by their team members.”
Contributing to community
Fretwell further stated, “If you have the time, which could be as little as 25 hours a week, and are looking to do more in your community, live within five minutes of your local on-call fire station and have a reasonable level of fitness, this could be the perfect opportunity and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in joining us to get in touch.”
“Although we have vacancies at many of our stations, we’re particularly looking for people to join us at Burwell, Kimbolton, Whittlesey, Huntingdon, St Ives, Ely and Cambourne."
Becoming on-call firefighter
To become an on-call firefighter, one must be aged 18 and over, have a good level of all-round fitness, and live or work within five minutes travelling time of an on-call fire station.
