Rural Fire Crews Appeal for On-Call Recruits Due to Strain

Rural fire brigades have issued an appeal for on-call personnel, facing difficulties in maintaining adequate coverage across North Yorkshire. Fire stations in Settle and Bentham are experiencing “great strain”, with only five and seven firefighters assigned to each respective location. Chris Watson, station manager for North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (NYFRS), stated that the service has occasionally needed to depend on distant stations to assist with incident responses. He encouraged individuals residing or employed within a four-minute proximity of the stations to contemplate joining the service, noting its compatibility with other employment. “An on-call firefighter is somebody who has an everyday job, an everyday life, and then during an emergency, their pager will activate and they rush to the fire station,” Mr Watson said. He clarified that the role mirrors that of any other firefighter, but operates on a part-time schedule, specifically in regions characterized by a low fire risk. York and Harrogate are categorized as high-risk areas, served by full-time stations, whereas Settle and Bentham depend on on-call recruits. NYFRS indicated it seeks individuals possessing reasonable physical fitness, a practical disposition, and flexibility. Proximity to the station was also highlighted as crucial, a factor Mr Watson noted was challenging in rural locales because of socio-economic factors. “To get a fire engine out of the door, we need a minimum of four firefighters to respond to an incident,” the station manager stated. “There’s a great strain at the moment on people at Bentham and Settle to provide cover 24 hours a day and seven days a week.” With evolving contracts designed to offer increased flexibility, he expressed a desire to have between 12 and 14 firefighters registered at each fire station. While existing personnel could manage the majority of incidents, Mr Watson mentioned that occasionally it was “just not possible” to adequately staff all shifts, necessitating assistance from other stations. He confirmed the existence of programs designed to bring new recruits to the required fitness and learning benchmarks. Matthew Johnson, employed in sales, has served as an on-call firefighter at Bentham for two years. “My full-time job is a desk job so I was longing for a bit more excitement and adventure,” he said. “My rota is anything from 19:00 to 07:00, five nights a week and alternate weekends.” Mr Johnson stated that he maintains a life balance and benefits from a supportive family who comprehend the demands of the role. “My very first job was on my birthday and within 10 minutes of starting my shift, the alert went off,” he said. “I remember getting to the station as a nervous young pup but we rushed out to an RTC.” Subsequently, he has responded to a variety of incidents, ranging from residential fires to animal rescues, and has completed extensive training. “The best advice I can give is to just do it,” Mr Johnson advised. “If you’re unsure, come along to a drill night. The best way to get knowledge is by asking, don’t be scared.”