Fire and rescue service calls for more volunteer firefighters after incident in Mere

Crews from Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Wincanton (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service) were called to a property fire in The Fields, Mere, at 10.48am.

Firefighters used one hose reel, one main line and two sets of breathing apparatus to extinguish a fire which had started in a shed but spread to a neighbouring property.

Firefighters managed to contain the fire to the shed and kitchen roof, saving the house from more serious fire damage.

But DWFRS Area Manager Andy Cole, who attended this incident, said it had highlighted their urgent need for more on-call firefighters.

He said: “Firefighters did a great job of saving the house involved in this incident.

"This fire occurred about 300 metres from Mere Fire Station but unfortunately, due to lack of available firefighters, Mere was not available to attend.

"We have and continue to try to recruit on-call firefighters across Dorset and Wiltshire, this type of incident shows exactly why we need these new recruits.

"It took firefighters from Gillingham 12 minutes from the call to arrive at this incident and if Mere had been available, this response time could have been cut dramatically.”

On-call firefighters are paid members of staff who respond to their local station when they are required to attend incidents and help their local community.

Mr Cole added: "They receive the same levels of training and support as their whole-time colleagues. We are particularly interested in hearing from females or those from under-represented groups."

If you are interested in becoming an on-call firefighter, please find out more on the DWFRS website https://www.dwfire.org.uk/working-for-us/on-call-firefighters/