Could you be extraordinary?

Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service are urging local businesses to step up to the challenge and think about releasing a member of their staff to become a retained firefighter.

Although not based on fire stations, retained firefighters usually live or work in their local community and carry a pager, so when they get the call they are ready to respond to any emergency.

Currently, there are over 100 retained firefighters in Warwickshire, responding to the call to keep our communities safe. However, many more are needed to provide cover at our retained stations both during the days and during nights and weekends.

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Retained Duty Systems Liaison Officer, Andrew Goodman, said: “Retained firefighters play a vital role in keeping communities safe and we rely heavily on local businesses to help us achieve this.

"At present we really need more people to come forward to provide cover in the day time, especially in more rural areas of the county like Henley, Stratford and Wellesbourne.

“So if your business is situated within five minutes of any of our retained stations, then we really need your help!

“We are looking to recruit people from all walks of life. No previous experience is needed, but common sense, self-motivation, compassion and the ability to work as part of a team is essential. Any potential candidates must also live or work within five minutes travel time of their nearest fire station and be over 18.”

For more information on what it could mean for your business, then log on to www.warwickshire.gov.uk/beextraordinary or call the retained recruitment team on 01926 852223 for an initial chat.

Full details about being a retained firefighter can be found at http://apps.warwickshire.gov.uk/api/documents/WCCC-844-147