A CALL has gone out for more people to consider joining the life-saving ranks of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue - as on-call firefighters.

High Wycombe Fire Station is holding an open evening tonight, March 12, and an open morning this Saturday, March 15.

On-call firefighters, officially known as Retained Duty System firefighters, are paid staff who do the same job as full-time firefighters. The difference is that on-call staff are not based in a fire station - instead, they are on standby waiting to be called out.

Station Manager Paul Scanes said: "On-call firefighters are a vital part of today’s fire and rescue service. They provide an efficient, cost-effective service that gives emergency cover to more than 90 per cent of the UK.

"We are hoping that people who haven’t previously considered applying will stop and ask themselves whether they can, in fact, provide cover at critical times of the day or night."

Like their full-time colleagues, on-call firefighters are trained and equipped to deal with a wide range of incidents and situations. These include fires, road traffic collisions and protecting the community through fire safety work.

There are benefits for employers who release staff to be on-call firefighters too. The employee will be professionally trained to deal with emergencies, and a firefighter on the staff could help save lives and property in the event of an emergency. Staff can also be trained for further qualifications such as health and safety and first aid, which could help the business as well.

Paul added: "Although the open evening and open morning are taking place at High Wycombe Fire Station, we would like to hear from you if you are interested in on-call opportunities at our other stations."

Tonight's open evening runs from 7pm to 9pm and Saturday's open morning from 10am to 12 noon.

Although these events are taking place in High Wycombe, volunteers from other areas of south Bucks are also welcome to find out more.

If you are unable to attend the open events but would like to know more, please email retainedrecruitment@bucksfire.gov.uk or follow the link to vacancies on the www.bucksfire.gov.uk homepage.