4 June 2008

Marlow Fire Station is holding a recruitment evening next week so that local people can learn more about becoming part-time firefighters in the town.

Watch Manager Richard Boast and his crew are hoping to meet as many men and women as possible at their drill night at the station in Parkway on Tuesday 10 June between 7pm and 10pm. They have been handing out leaflets in the town in the run-up to the event.

Firefighters will put on a demonstration of a road traffic collision extrication, showing how they release people trapped in vehicles, during the first part of the evening.

It’s part of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s countywide recruitment campaign for Retained Duty System (RDS) firefighters. Marlow, which needs 14 firefighters to be at full strength, has four vacancies.

RDS firefighters are paid staff who do the same job as full-time firefighters. Many of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service's 214 RDS firefighters combine this work with their day job.

Like their full-time colleagues, they are trained and equipped to deal with a wide range of incidents and situations. These include fires, road traffic collisions and protecting the community through fire safety work.

The difference is that RDS staff are not based in a fire station - instead, they are on standby waiting to be called out. They may be at home, working for themselves or working for a company that allows them to leave work to attend an emergency call.

An RDS firefighter’s on-call time can be a combination of daytime, evening and weekend hours. They are paid for being on call and called out, and are entitled to paid holidays, sick pay and membership of a pension scheme.

There are benefits for employers who release staff to be RDS firefighters too. The employee will be professionally trained to deal with emergencies, and an RDS firefighter on the staff could help save lives and property in the event of an emergency. Staff can also be trained for further qualifications such as health and safety and first aid, which could help the business as well.

To be a retained firefighter you need to be at least 18 years old, physically fit and live and/or work close to the fire station. Just as important are qualities like common sense, commitment, enthusiasm and the ability to work as a member of a team.

If you would like to find out more about working as an RDS firefighter in Marlow, or if you are an employer interested in allowing your employees to participate, ring the information pack hotline on 01296 744670 or email rdsrecruitment@bucksfire.gov.uk