SWINDON fire station is holding an open day to attract more on-call recruits to help keep communities safe.

The ‘have a go’ event is being held at Drove Road between 10am to 2pm to give those interested a taste of what being a firefighter is really like, and aiming to fill the gap covering important on-duty shifts.

The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service is reliant on on-call firefighters, who cover almost two thirds of operational staff.

To be on-call, recruits will need to respond to the fire station in five minutes once they are beeped with a pager, and can either be taken from work or home, often recruits come from all walks of life.

On-call support officer Paul Howell said: “The easiest way to see if being a firefighter is for you is to come along, have a chat with the crew and try your hand at different things.

"There will be opportunity to cut up a car, try on breathing apparatus, climb a ladder and do the national firefighter selection test for carrying equipment.”

Contracted hours can vary, but on-call personnel usually make themselves available for between 48 and 120 hours per week.

Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends.

Paul added: “On-call firefighters receive the same training and development as Wholetime colleagues, and we can be called to all manner of emergencies, including fires, road traffic collisions, animal rescues and flooding.

"The pay does vary, depending on how much cover you give, but it is fantastically rewarding to be a part of your community and be in a position to help people.”

For those not able to come to the event on Saturday there will be a team from the fire station in the Wharf Green area today between 10am an 2pm to talk about the role of on-call fire fighters as well as offering fire safety advice.

The numbers of firefighters in the UK has dropped by 20 per cent since 2010. There are now over 11,000 less serving communities, and 24 per cent (490) less firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire since 2010.

The fire service lost another seven (1 per cent) during 2017.