More retained firefighters needed for the eastern end of Sheppey
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By Emma Grove
Firefighters are looking for more people to join their retained
crew at the Island’s eastern end.
The crew at Eastchurch has nine members who come from all walks
of life – from a full-time mum to a student to a builder.
Being a retained firefighter means you are on call when you want
to be – you can give as much or as little time as you want.
During the time they are on call, the crew must carry a pager
with them and as long as they are able to get to the station within
five minutes of a call, can carry on with their normal day-to-day
lives.
The crew can be called to a wide range of incidents from house
fires and road accidents to chemical incidents.
No particular qualifications are needed and there is no need for
previous experience.
The crew manager at Eastchurch is mum-of-one Sally Bliss, who
has been a retained firefighter for 10 years.
Sally, 35, decided to give it a try after a friend of hers said
she would enjoy it, and she has never looked back.
She said: “I can give full cover because I’m at home most of the
time but it suits people even with young children.
“If you are a mum you can do cover when your kids are at school
and then take it off when they come home. It’s very
flexible.”
When you join as a retained firefighter, you will be given basic
firefighter training which carries on over the years introducing
other skills such as using breathing apparatus and driving the fire
engines.
Firefighters at Eastchurch have also been trained as
co-responders which means they get called to other emergencies such
as heart attacks and breathing difficulties.
Sally said the best thing about being a retained firefighter is
helping the community.
She added: “It’s nice to be able to go out and help when people
are in trouble – whether it’s a bonfire, a cat up a tree or an oven
alight.
“It’s a challenging job and it’s never the same.
“I would encourage people to give it a go – there’s no harm in
trying and you might be surprised.”
For more information about becoming a retained
firefighter contact Daren Jenner, retained station manager on 01634
283554, drop into Eastchurch fire station any Tuesday evening
between 6pm-9pm or visit www.kent.fire-uk.org
The crew at Eastchurch are appealing for new people to join
their crew, and in particular people who can cover during the
day.
Most people work day-time so are free to cover at night.
There are rewards for the job. Apart from the satisfaction of
helping the community, retained firefighters also get an annual
retaining fee which is like a salary.
They are also paid for each incident they attend and for any
extra training.
The knowledge and skills they learn, such as first aid, are
valuable and can be used outside the job too.
Retained firefighters are committed to taking part in a weekly
drill yard night at the station, where the team get together to
practice emergency response procedures.
To see a video interview with
Sally, click here
Tuesday, March 02 2010
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