Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has kickstarted its latest recruitment campaign – despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

The emergency service launched its drive for 2021 after the National Fire Chiefs Council urged more women to get involved.

They said: “The increase in the number of female firefighters now means 6.4 per cent of firefighters are women, compared to just 3.6 per cent in 2009.

"During 2018/19, 16.6 per cent of new firefighters joining the fire and rescue services were women."

Sam Coulson, who is a recent recruit at Ulverston's fire station, revealed he had a great interest in the fire service from a young age.

He said: “I joined in 2018 and since then I have found being an on-call fire fighter has turned out to be a fantastic role, which allows us all to grow as a person in many different ways.

“The role has filled me with a great sense of pride, as I’ve been able to support others and help out in the local Ulverston community.”

The service was also keen to show how it is helping to ensure people's homes are safe.

A spokesperson said: “Fire and rescue staff come into contact with vulnerable people every day, so the 'safe and well visits' we do to homes are a fantastic opportunity to help vulnerable people in Cumbria to live full lives and sustain their independence for longer in the hope of reducing preventable hospital admissions at this time.

"This is a great example of how health, care and emergency services can all work together to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Cumbria.”

The recruitment process to join locally in Cumbria, can be found on Cumbria County Council's website.

The spokesperson added: “On-call firefighters play a crucial role in our communities round here and are called upon to attend a full range of incidents, from fires or the recent floods in Kendal, to road traffic collisions and chemical spills.

"I would urge people living and working in the areas where we’re recruiting to consider applying to become part of the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service team.”

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service attended more than 700 incidents throughout the county during the first eight weeks of the pandemic, which was up more than 10 percent on the same period on average in the previous five years.