GLOUCESTERSHIRE Fire & Rescue Service is will be looking for people who are interested in becoming retained firefighters.

Retained staff are vital to Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service and nationally provide fire and rescue cover to around 60 per cent of the UK.

They must be more than 18 years old, physically fit and living or working within close proximity of a fire station.

Recruitment nights will held between 6.30pm and 9pm at the Painswick Fire Station on Tuesday, July 8 2014.

Gloucestershire’s Chief Fire Officer Stewart Edgar said: “This is a chance to become a member of a highly skilled team and to contribute to the safety of the communities in which we all live.

“It’s an important job, which requires great energy and dedication. But it’s also a highly rewarding role working within a tight-knit team of likeminded individuals.

“Retained firefighters come from all parts of the community, so anyone who thinks they can do something extraordinary should step forward.”

Successful applicants will be given full training in providing community safety advice and attending emergencies. They are paid a monthly retainer fee, including additional pay for call-outs and training.

Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for communities at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We are all in the business of making sure communities and individuals are as safe as they can be – our retained firefighters are a vital cog in the wheel.

“Anyone who thinks they have what it takes to be a firefighter should take this first important step to find out more about the role.”