On-call firefighters across Warwickshire respond to a range of emergencies and engage with their local communities. They do all this while having a day job in other industries. Most people performing this role in the county live within five minutes of a fire station and respond as needed.
Nick Bance, an On-Call Firefighter based at Southam Fire Station, is different as he lives nine minutes away in Bishops Itchington. Nick runs an independent fire-protection consultancy for businesses and has worked as an on-call firefighter for nine years. How does he make this work? He works his day-job from a desk at Southam Fire Station and is therefore able to respond to incidents when on-call as necessary.
He said: ‘When I initially enquired about joining on-call, I spoke with the Watch Manager and he said that I lived too far away, but it might be possible to join if I worked from the fire station. I went along to the next taster session and thought, “Yeah, I would like to give this a go.” I successfully completed the physical and written tests to advance to the initial training course for new recruits. Two weeks later, we participated in a passing-out parade in front of our families and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer.’
Working as an on-call firefighter in Warwickshire is something that Nick finds very rewarding. On-call firefighters receive exactly the same training as wholetime firefighters, and it can take around three years to become qualified as a competent firefighter.
Nick said: ‘I joined up because I wanted to help my community and would certainly recommend it to gain life skills. I am emergency-response-vehicle trained and can drive appliances to incidents. I find that I am constantly refreshing my skills and keeping up to date with new fire policies and procedures. It’s enjoyable and rewarding, particularly if you rescue someone from a road traffic collision or save someone’s life, then it’s all worthwhile.’
Finding a balance and a happy medium between his two roles is something Nick works hard to maintain. He said: ‘There are currently 15 on-call fire fighters at Southam, available at different times of the day and night. We have a good record of reliability at Southam Fire Station.
‘I have a desk and can do all my paperwork at the fire station, there’s a kitchen, off-street parking and shops a short walk away and a quicker run if called out! It’s comfortable to combine my two jobs and I am sure there are local people out there with a laptop who could do a similar thing to me.’
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting for on-call firefighters across the county. Find out more here.
