New firemen join retained fire stations

Jake Reed and Richard Copeland will join East Preston station, while Alistair Robson, Martin Hill and Gareth Challen will join Arundel.

They are among 10 new retained firefighters to join West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service after their passing out service was held at Worthing fire station on Friday.

The new recruits have completed an intensive initial training course and now will join other retained around the county.

Retained firefighters are kept on call for the fire service, meaning they are often employed elsewhere or are at home when they receive a pager alert.

They have to be ready to spring into immediate action to deal with a 999 incident.

Retained firefighters fully crew 14 of the 25 fire stations in West Sussex.

They receive regular training in firefighting, rescue and extrication techniques equipping them with the skills to deal with fires, road traffic accidents and a wide range of other emergencies

The new firefighters were presented with their certificates by assistant chief fire officer for West Sussex, Gavin Watts, who said:“I’d like to welcome our new firefighters into the team and wish them a long and rewarding career in the fire service. Retained firefighters make such a valuable contribution to their local communities and our service couldn’t operate without their considerable dedication and commitment.”