All fired up to recruit more volunteers (From The Oxford Times)

All fired up to recruit more volunteers

5:50pm Tuesday 10th January 2012 in Wantage

FIREFIGHTERS have begun a tour of south Oxfordshire to help extinguish a shortage of new recruits.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were in Thame on Saturday handing out leaflets and explaining what being a retained firefighter involves.

Retained crews have other jobs but are called out to attend incidents in their area as they happen.

Father-of-one Neil Calcutt, 35, of Hurdlers Green, Watlington, said he was thinking of signing up to work between shifts for Network Rail.

He said: “There is a shortage in south Oxfordshire and it would be giving something back to the community.

“The last thing we would want to see is the station in Watlington close or any of the retained services in south Oxfordshire being disrupted.”

Crews will be at Henley Town Hall on Saturday and then in Faringdon town centre on Saturday, January 21.

Officers will also visit businesses managers close to stations to discuss the possibility of releasing staff to become retained firefighters.

l For details of signing up visit your local fire station between 7pm and 9pm on a Tuesday or a Wednesday or visit oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/ public-site/fire-service-recruitment