Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service have welcomed 12 new on-call firefighters to stations across the county. Despite the pandemic, the on-call recruits have completed a 10-week training course to enable them to get ‘on the run’ at the community fire stations.
The group completed their phase one training course earlier this month and now have the core skills required to operate safely as a firefighter with their new stations. On-call firefighters are such a huge part of the 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.
Promoting fire safety
Keen to overcome the challenges faced as a result of COVID-19, the training team worked hard to ensure that the course could being in May as planned. The course had to be redesigned and restructured to ensure they were as safe as possible in light of the virus. From day one, the cohort was split into two groups, training in different days.This meant that despite being part of the same recruitment journey, the two groups never trained together.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a number of challenges for us as a Service"
Head of On-Call for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Group Commander Karl Bowden commented: “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a number of challenges for us as a Service, but our training centre team have done a fantastic job in ensuring we have still been able to train new staff to the highest standard.”
Outstanding commitment and dedication
Karl Bowden adds, “The recruits have already demonstrated their outstanding commitment and dedication, not just to the fire service but to themselves and their communities. 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.”
He continues, “We rely heavily on the continued support of on-call firefighters and their families up and down the county, so I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in joining us to get in touch.”
On-call firefighters are trained professionals
On-call firefighters are trained professionals who respond to emergencies in their communities alongside their day-to-day lives. 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.
To become an on-call firefighter, users must be aged 18 and over, have a good level of all-round fitness, and live or work within five minutes traveling time of an on-call fire station.