Could you be an on-call firefighter on Arran?
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is looking to recruit vital on-call firefighters who can help provide an emergency fire and rescue service for local communities on the island.
The role of an on-call firefighter is not a full-time role and volunteering hours can be managed to suit volunteers’ lifestyles. On call firefighters carry a pager during their agreed on-call hours and report to the community fire station when an emergency call out comes through.
Sandy Kelso (33) from Lamlash became an on call firefighter at Lamlash Community Fire Station nearly six years ago after speaking with friends who were already in the service.
He said: “It never really appealed to me when I was younger, but after a few conversations with different firefighters on the island I applied for it.
“I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it or not, but it’s taught me lots of different skills and I have managed to get a lot out of it, including my HGV lorry licence.”
Sandy is an on-call firefighter and is self-employed, however, it is possible to be an on-call firefighter while working for other organisations.
You need to have permission from your employer to allow you to be released for on-call firefighter duties and SFRS can help you talk to your employer to explain the commitment required.
Sandy continued: “Most employers on Arran are supportive of their employees being in the fire service and understand that if it was their workplace or home on fire, they would want a quick response.
“I’m only contracted to 120 hours on call each week, so if I know I’m doing a job that I can’t really leave, I can plan for it in advance and sign ’off-call’ using an app on my phone that notifies the rest of the firefighters at Lamlash that I won’t be available during those hours.”
On-call firefighters are required to live or work near to the community fire station to ensure that they can reach their fire station to respond to an emergency call out within eight minutes.
Sandy described one of his most memorable moments since joining the service. He said: “When I was in the process of joining I always just thought about the actual firefighting side of the job, however one of my first ever call outs was when the paddle steamer Waverley struck the Brodick pier.
“There were multiple causalities and it opened my eyes to what the role of a firefighter is.”
Sandy has a young family at home, but explained that being on-call works just like any other job with free time and holiday entitlement.
He said: “You are given a set number of contracted hours per week, so I still manage to sign off-call and spend plenty of time with family and friends.
“You also get annual leave like in most jobs for holidays which you have booked or weekends away.”
SFRS offers five levels of availability for being on-call, varying from committing to up to 30 hours per week to 120 hours per week.
Sandy has some advice for anyone considering it. He said: “Go for it, challenge yourself. You will be put on a course for a day to check you meet the requirements.
“During the course you will get hands on experience with a lot of equipment so you’ll know after that day if it’s for you or not.”
Richard Donachie, station commander for Arran Community Fire Stations, said: “Our on-call firefighters are exceptional individuals who step up to protect their communities when needed most.
“Over time, the number of on-call firefighters in the area has reduced due to retirement and people leaving the role.
“We continue to recruit all year round, and we need people within the communities to step forward and consider a career with us.”
Further information about becoming an on-call firefighter can be found at www.firescotland.gov.uk/careers/on-call-firefighter/ or by speaking to any of the island’s firefighters.
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