Meet East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service's newest firefighters
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed its newest on-call trainee firefighters.
At a special Pass Out Parade at Seaford Community Fire Station on Friday (October 30), their achievements were celebrated by friends and family, with Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Norris presenting their certificates, the fire service said.
Those joining are:
- Firefighter Oscar Brann - Herstmonceux
- Firefighter Ben Carpenter - Newhaven
- Firefighter Warren Martin-O'Donaghue - Herstmonceux
- Firefighter Graham Mundy - Uckfield
- Firefighter Frankie-James Smith - Battle
- Firefighter Chris Van-Rooij - Wadhurst
- Firefighter Usama Welton - Hailsham
An On-Call Core Skills Course consists of 16 days intensive training, split over three weekends and a further two-week course.
A spokesperson for the fire service said: “The trainees have acquired and applied a wide range of practical skills including hose running, pumping from both pressure fed and open water supplies and safely pitching a variety of fire service ladders.
“They have also had input in First Aid, Manual Handling and working with foam externally to extinguish fires. In addition to the practical aspects, our trainee firefighters have had to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through a sequence of written assessments.
“They have reached the halfway point in their training. They will now be trained in Road Traffic Collision, Working at Height, Water Safety and culminating in a two-week Breathing Apparatus course.
“On-call firefighters are ordinary people that combine their day jobs or family responsibilities with being on call for fire and rescue situations and emergencies.
“When the call comes in, they drop what they are doing and become part of the East Sussex Fire and Rescue team.
“It's an important commitment, but an immensely rewarding way to serve the community, keep the public safe and earn an extra income.
“If you live or work within five minutes of one of our on call fire stations, you may be just who we are looking for. Check out which stations are recruiting and more about this important role at www.esfrs.org/on-call.”