THE local fire service is appealing for new recruits to join its Melksham team.
The Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has launched its appeal after a house fire in Melksham just this week. Because of a lack of available firefighters, the Melksham fire service was unable to attend the emergency, which was located just 150m from the fire station.
The fire service reports, “Crews from Trowbridge and Chippenham were called to a property fire in Lewington Close, Melksham on Sunday 26th September at 10.15am. Firefighters used one hose reel and two sets of breathing apparatus to extinguish a fire which had started as a bonfire in the back garden, but spread to the property. Firefighters managed to contain the fire, saving the house from more serious fire damage.”
House saved
Assistant chief fire officer Andy Cole said, “Firefighters did a great job of saving the house involved in this incident. This fire occurred about 150m from Melksham Fire Station but unfortunately, due to lack of available firefighters, Melksham was not available to attend.
“We have and continue to try to recruit on-call firefighters across Dorset and Wiltshire, and this type of incident shows exactly why we need these new recruits. Whilst we will always make sure a fire engine responds to an incident when it is needed, in this case it took firefighters from Trowbridge 11 minutes from the call to arrive. If Melksham had been available, this response time could have been cut dramatically.”
Training
The fire service continues, “On-call firefighters are paid members of staff who respond to their local station when they are required to attend incidents and help their local community. They receive the same levels of training and support as their full time colleagues. “We are particularly interested in hearing from females or those from underrepresented groups.”
If you are interested in becoming an on-call firefighter, please find out more on their website: www.dwfire.org.uk/working-for-us/on-call-firefighters/
