Shropshire Star

Watch: Open day bid to attract women to Shropshire's fire service

Women were given a taste of life as a firefighter as part of an event to tempt more recruits to the county's service.

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Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service wants more women to become retained officers. It invited people to drop in on Oswestry Fire Station, which has two fire appliances and relies on a part-time crew to ensure they are available to respond to emergencies at any time of the day or night.

Some of the county's current retained and full-time women firefighters were on hand to talk to would-be recruits, who travelled from across the county. They were given a tour of the fire station and shown the equipment used at the wide variety of incidents.

"We want to encourage women to look at becoming part-time professional firefighters. There have been women firefighters in fire stations in Shropshire and across the UK for many years now but it is a career that many women just don't think about," said firefighter Ruth Walkerdine of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Across Shropshire 80 per cent of firefighters' are "on call" which means when there's an emergency they are bleeped to attend the fire station. This means they have to live or work within five minutes of their local fire station.

Ms Walkerdine added: "We provide training, support, promotion opportunities, excellent pay and conditions of service and a strong commitment to equality. Anyone who wants a rewarding career that is a little bit different might find this is the job for them."

For more information about what the job entails visit www.shropshirefire.gov.uk

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