New Recruits On First Call

And he and fellow new recruit Tim Jackson were straight out on their first call on Monday.

Station commander Jon Mays welcomed two new recruits into the fold and said: "They are both very community spirited and it is great to have them on board."

Duncan was in the Littlehampton Gazette back in February when he tried to help extinguish his neighbour's blazing house.

The incident was to leave a lasting impression on him and he contacted Jon Mays the next day to find out about becoming a firefighter.

Duncan said: "I am over the moon! I feel so proud of myself and I have spoken to so many people about this and probably bored them senseless!"

The 34-year-old mechanic says he could not have done this without the support of his family and says his wife had been right behind his decision from the start.

And 38-year-old warehouse supervisor Tim Jackson agreed with Duncan, saying: "If you are going to spend time away from your family, you need their full backing."

He and Duncan, who carry on their normal jobs, but are always ready for a call-out, trained together on a gruelling two-week course in Reigate.

"It is quite bewildering, the basic training is like passing your driving test. Now I can actually start learning about the job," said Tim.

The father of four is now reunited with his 12-week-old baby and ready to answer emergency calls.

He added: "I have three boys, so there's another three recruits ready to start in about 18 years' time!"

If you would like to become a retained firefighter, Littlehampton, Arundel and East Preston fire stations would like to hear from you.

You can either call in at the stations on Monday evenings between 7pm and 9pm, contact your local station or log on to www.wsfb.co.uk for more information.