PEOPLE living in the Ramsbury and Aldbourne areas are being urged to come along and find out more about what's involved in helping their community as a part time firefighter.

Ramsbury fire station are holding an informal meet and greet evening on Wednesday, November 14 from 7pm to encourage local people to become on-call firefighters.

As well as being available to chat about being an on-call firefighter, the service will also be offering fire safety advice and accepting requests for Safe & Well visits.

On-call support officer Paul Howell said: “The easiest way to see if being a firefighter is for you is to come along, meet the crew and find out what is involved in becoming an on-call firefighter. We have also now extended the on-call response area to include anyone living or working in Aldbourne so we are really keen to engage people in this area and promote this new opportunity.

“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 be in a position to help people.”

To be on-call, you will need to be able to reach 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 and safety in the workplace, and enhanced team spirit.

Contracted hours can vary, but on-call personnel usually make themselves available for between 48 and 120 hours per week. Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends.

If you are interested in being an on-call firefighter or know anyone who may be interested but can’t attend, visit www.dwfire.org.uk/be-one-of-us for more information.