Release date: 3 October 2018
The latest on-call recruits for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service have graduated following a Pass Out Parade at Worthing Fire Station.
The six new recruits took part in the parade in front of family and friends on Friday (28 September).
The graduates, and which station they’ll be based at, are:
• Jonathan Taylor, East Wittering
• Frazer Sinclair, Selsey
• Jacob Atkins, Chichester
• Sylvia Buchanan, Midhurst
• Samuel Munro, Littlehampton
• Lawrence Jesse, Partridge Green
It comes as the fire service launches a new drive to recruit new on-call firefighters with a call to action of ‘Your Community Needs You’.
The new recruits were welcomed into the service after completing a two week course.
This included teaching them to safely and effectively work at incidents, operate hoses, pumps and ladders on the ground and at height, and provide life support and first aid.
On-call – formerly known as retained – firefighters can have another job, and 14 of West Sussex’s 25 fire stations are crewed solely by an on-call workforce.
Adrian Murphy, Area Manager for Response, who presented the graduates with their certificates, said: “I would like to thank all of the instructors who have worked extremely hard to train our new members and bring them up to standard in such a short space of time. It was great to meet the new recruits at their Pass Out Parade.
“On-call firefighters are a vital part of our service and we have recently launched a campaign to recruit new on-call firefighters that we urgently need at a number of our stations.”
Debbie Kennard, Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities said: “Well done to our newest members of the service. They have worked extremely hard over the past couple of weeks and should be very proud of their achievements. I am sure they will go out into the West Sussex community and support our residents to the best of their ability.”
On-call firefighters can come from every walk of life, and have a range of different backgrounds.
Anyone interested in becoming an on-call firefighter can find more information and how to apply by visiting the on-call recruitment page.
