Nine new firefighters for new fire station

NINE local residents have successfully passed out as on-call firefighters for the new Penketh Fire Station, Warrington.
Firefighters Sophie Cowle, Stephen Grounds, James Giblin, Andrew Humphreys, Andrew Rhodes, Rob Hawthorn, Alex Goodrum and Michel Dutton were officially welcomed into Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service as on-call firefighters at a ceremony at Widnes Fire Station.
The ninth recruit, Thomas Lampartar, was away on honeymoon but will be presented with his certificates on his return.
Over the last five months the nine recruits have completed training that culminated in a  pass-out parade that included a drill demonstration  from the new firefighters in front of the Chief Fire Officer, Paul Hancock, deputy chairman of Cheshire Fire Authority Cllr Stef Nelson, fellow firefighters and family and friends.
Cllr Nelson said: “We take great pride in the quality of our firefighters and in their commitment to serving the public and the communities of Cheshire.
“For me, as deputy chair of the Fire Authority and as a local councillor, I take even greater pride in seeing local people compelled to give something back to keep their friends and neighbours safe.
“As an authority we always want to provide the best possible fire and rescue service.  We hope that, as new on-call firefighters, they already feel that they are helping us to achieve that goal.”
The recruitment of on-call firefighters for Penketh follows on from the decision to build a new fire station at Widnes Road – due to open later this year.
On call firefighters don’t just fight fires. They also attend community events and act as ambassadors for the fire service.  They are not volunteers and are paid for the work they do.
To find out more about on-call recruitment see the website www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/jobs/on-call-firefighter-recruitment
Pictured left to right are: Watch Manager Gary Simpson, Firefighters Anthony Samuel, Andrew Rhodes, Rob Hawthorn, Michael Dutton, Stephen Grounds, James Giblin, Sophie Cowle, Alex Goodrum and crew manager Wayne Hansford.