A SENIOR firefighter in Okehampton and Hatherleigh has appealed for people in the community to train as firefighters as talks continue between fire bosses and unions on better pay for on-call fire crews.

Crew manager Terry Reynolds made the appeal this week for volunteers to train as firefighters in Hatherleigh and North Tawton which are both currently short of crew.

While Okehampton Fire Station currently has a full complement of 20 firefighters, including three new recruits, in Hatherleigh, there are only eight firefighters to man the station’s one fire engine instead of 12.

Mr Reynolds, who has been a firefighter for nearly 37 years and is currently working at both Hatherleigh and Okehampton fire stations, said: ‘We need firefighters in the community working for the community.

‘As on-call firefighters we know our communities and are often the best people to go out and attend incidents.

‘This is the message we are trying to get across to people. The fire service is an important part of our community.’

He said that most of the one-pump stations in the service were recruiting. The main requirement is to live and or work within five minutes of the station.

You need to be 18 and there is no upper age limit, you just need to be fit and able to do the role.

Full details of the recruitment procedure can be found on the website dsfire.gov.uk.

People interested in training as on-call crew are invited to a practical assessment day at Middlemoor Fire Station in Exeter, where tests include a fitness test, ladder climb, a confined spaces test and running while carrying equipment. 

If they pass this, they are invited for an interview and also undergo a medical.

After being accepted, the new recruit is kitted out with everything they need.

They then start their training at their local station and will attend one of the two fire service training venues in the South West to learn new skills.

Mr Reynolds said he wanted to encourage people who might not have realised they could be a firefighter to consider it.

‘People discount themselves quite often, they think “I couldn’t do that or I haven’t got the time” but we want to get over to them that they may find they could.

‘Come and talk to us at one of our drill nights. It really is very rewarding as any of us can tell you. Being a firefighter gives you a lot of self-worth. You feel part of the community.

‘You are going about your day to day life and suddenly your [fire service] pager goes off and you are thrust into a different role, a unique role.

‘It is very satisfying.’

Drill nights are held on Monday nights in North Tawton and Thursday night in Hatherleigh, both between 7pm and 9pm. 

Other nearby stations, including Holsworthy and Chulmleigh are also looking to recruit as well as stations further up in North Devon.

The call for more firefighters comes as reform of the pay structure for on-call crew, with a higher hourly rate for a pre-agreed number of on call hours, are debated by the Fire Brigades’ Union and bosses at Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. 

This follows cuts now agreed by the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority, yet to be implemented, which may see Okehampton only have one on-call crew during the day instead of the current two. 

Gaps will be filled by full-time staff allocated according to a ‘risk-based assessment’, although the details have yet to be revealed.

However, Mr Reynolds said there was ‘absolutely no risk’ of on-call staff at Okehampton losing their positions.