More retained firefighters are needed to join the crew at Bradford on Avon fire station.

There are eight ‘on-call’ firefighters currently at the station but there is room to expand to 13.

Watch manager Sean Gerrish has lived in Bradford on Avon all his life and has been a retained firefighter in the town for 29 years.

He said: “We are a big happy family, we have to be.

"We are looking for someone who will be a good team player, is fit and thinks on their feet. We are quite flexible, as long as I can get day cover or weekend cover.”

As well as fighting fires, dealing with floods, road traffic collisions, chemical spills and animal rescues, retained firefighters also promote fire safety messages.

They have other occupations, but are trained to carry out all the duties of a firefighter. They only attend the fire station when they receive an emergency call out and are paid for the work they undertake.

A pocket alerter is activated when they are needed and they have five minutes to report to the fire station and mobilise the necessary appliances. This is why a retained firefighter has to live or work no more than five minutes from the fire station.

Mr Gerrish said: “Being a retained firefighter is beneficial for companies because what they are getting is a professional who is trained in first aid, health and safety, teamwork and fire safety awareness.

"It targets quite a lot of skills.”

For more information on the role and how to apply, visit http://www.wiltsfire.gov.uk/currentvacancies