Last updated at 16:26, Monday, 14 January 2013

BUDDING firefighters have been putting themselves forward following a successful recruitment drive.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is looking to appoint three on-call firefighters at both Dalton and Walney fire stations.

The closing date for applications is on Friday.

Two recruitment open days were held at Dalton fire station and 12 people attended.

Walney fire station also held two recruitment days in December and nine people went along.

The recruitment process involves psychometric tests, an interview, a fitness test and medical.

Those who successfully complete the tests then go on to do their training before becoming on-call firefighters.

The fire service said successful candidates would be likely to take up their new roles from the summer onwards.

The pay scales for an on-call firefighter are; a retainer of £2,115 – £2, 821 dependant on the cover provided and an hourly rate of £12.88. On-call firefighters can earn around £6,000 a year.

The fire service faced criticism from a crew member in November as a lack of staff meant that Dalton’s retained fire crew was unable to attend the floods in Dalton on November 22, and crews from other parts of South Cumbria had to step in.

A Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “On-call firefighters play a vital role in helping keep their communities safe and to provide on-call cover we rely on local people putting themselves forward to take on this challenging but rewarding role.

“The open days at Walney and Dalton fire stations attracted a good number of potential candidates.

“Hopefully this will result in as many of those who attended as possible submitting applications.

“With applications being accepted right up until the January 18 deadline, we’d urge anybody interested in applying or finding out more to contact us.”

Anybody interested in applying to be an on-call firefighter at Dalton fire station can contact station manager Al Maguire on al.maguire@cumbria.gov.uk or 01229 408083.

First published at 12:13, Monday, 14 January 2013
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk