Staffing shortage stalls 999 responses
Recruitment drive for retained crew
BOSWORTH fire station is unable to respond to every emergency due to staff shortages.
The retained firefighters average 80% cover, but they do not have enough staff to man a fire engine for every emergency call.
Bosworth crew manager Paul Wragg has launched an urgent appeal to recruit six new on-call firefighters
He said: “At Market Bosworth we are unable to crew the fire appliance all of the time, we average 80% cover which means we are unavailable to respond to some emergency calls as the appli- ance cannot be mobilised due to insufficient crewing.
“But if we are not available we would request support and cover from a full-time station.
“We currently have space for six firefighters which would bolster our team and help give better cover to the people of Market Bosworth and surrounding area.
“We are looking predominantly for people who could offer day time cover and are currently targeting shift workers, stay at home parents and people who work from home, as well as any local employers who could release staff to respond to an emergency.
“On average you would be called around three times a week to respond to a range of emergencies and would also be required to train with the crew for three hours every Monday evening.”
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service relies on a retained duty system in some areas of the county, including Hinckley and Lutterworth.
Retained firefighters respond to the same incidents as full-time staff, but work on an on-call basis and are notified of an emergency via a pager.
They have to live or work within six minutes of a station to ensure they can respond quickly.
Hinckley station is also looking for new on-call firefighters.
For more information or to sign up visit www. leicestershire-fire.gov.uk/ careers or email Mr Wragg on paul.wragg@lfrs.org for Bosworth enquiries.