A fire station is looking for new “on-call” firefighters as part of changes to the way it responds to emergencies.

Waltham Abbey Fire Station wants people to apply to join its crew durng a countywide recruitment campaign by Essex Country Fire and Rescue Service.

The changes come after the brigade announced plans last year to change Waltham Abbey station from a day-crew to an on-call service.

Rather than being stationed on site from 9am to 6pm every Monday to Friday, new firefighters can have normal lives and jobs, until they are called to respond to incidents when alerted by a pager.

The system is already in place at the station for crews working between 6pm and 9pm on weekdays and at weekends.

Dave Barnard, station commander for Waltham Abbey, said: “On-call recruitment can be difficult in commuter towns, because nowadays there are fewer people who both live and work in the community during the day.

“On-call firefighters are a crucial part of local services and communities and the role is unpredictable, exciting and at the same time, extremely rewarding.

“I encourage anyone interested to apply.”

Potential recruits are required to be over 18, physically fit and must live or work within five minutes of the fire station.

On-call firefighters are paid employees and will receive thorough training to enable them to respond to emergency situations.

Waltham Abbey Fire Station is holding a drop-in recruitment session between 6pm - 8pm on Thursday, September 14.

  • For more information, call: 01376 576698, email: oncall.recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk or visit: essex-fire.gov.uk/walthamabbey.