Staffordshire’s Commissioner for Police l Fire and Rescue l and Crime, has praised the sacrifices being made by on-call fire fighters.
Since taking over governance of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Matthew Ellis has met with staff at 18 of the on-call stations across the county as well as meeting with whole-time and day crewed stations.
During a visit to the Staffordshire Moorlands stations of Ipstones and Cheadle, Matthew Ellis praised them for their commitment and dedication to their community – after seeing many of them on duty at the fires on the Roaches in the summer.
‘They are utterly dedicated to protecting their local communities, and are a humbling reminder that community spirit and public duty are alive and well.
‘I don’t think most people realise that these firefighters are true professionals, and yet have full-time jobs at the same time.
‘It is a real sacrifice from their employers and families as their pager can go at any time of the day or night requiring them to drop everything and respond to emergencies’.
On-call firefighters provide emergency response cover from either their home or work base, which needs to be within five minutes of their local station. After their initial training they attend weekly drill nights to ensure they maintain their skills.
As well as responding to emergencies, on-call firefighters get involved in community fire safety initiatives in their local area, including safe and well and school visits.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service are currently recruiting on-call firefighters.
For more information visit https://www.staffordshirefire.gov.uk/careers/retained-on-call-firefighters/
