DOREST & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service needs new recruits to provide fire cover for Melksham and its surrounding area.
On-call firefighters make themselves available to respond to a pager when a 999 call is made, and cover is needed at all times. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary work – they are men and women who may have other jobs or responsibilities as well as their vital role with the Fire & Rescue Service.
On-call firefighters are part-time staff who make themselves available for emergency call-outs depending on their other commitments. They are usually contracted for between 48 and 120 hours per week, but this can vary. Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends.
On-call support officer Paul Vickery said, “On-call firefighters receive the same training and development as wholetime colleagues, and we can be called to all manner of emergencies, including fires, road traffic collisions, animal rescues and flooding. The pay does vary, depending on how much cover you give, but it is fantastically rewarding to be a part of your community and to be in a position to help people.”
Some 60% of firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire work on an on-call basis, making them hugely important to both the service and the communities that they serve. Of the service’s 50 stations, the majority are crewed only by on-call firefighters and on-call staff work alongside their wholetime colleagues at many of our other stations.
In order to be on-call, you will need to be able to respond to the fire station in around five minutes once your pager goes off. This can be from home or work, and employers can benefit from a firefighter’s training – such as first aid, manual handling, a greater understanding of health & safety in the workplace, and enhanced team spirit.
If you are interested in being a firefighter, visit www.dwfire.org.uk/be-one -of-us for more information.
