A series of open days to explain what is involved in becoming an on-call firefighter are taking place throughout August.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service want to recruit as many people as possible to boost the service including in Abergavenny, Monmouth and Chepstrow

In South Wales, On-Call Firefighters make up almost half of the operational workforce and are generally located in rural communities, small towns and villages.

Like the Wholetime Duty System role, On-Call Firefighters respond to fires and Special Service Calls e.g. road traffic collisions, chemical emergencies, flooding and other natural disasters. They are also required to inform and educate their local communities and carry out Safe and Well visits in people’s homes.

On-Call Firefighters work a Retained Duty System and must live or work in the local community and are from all walks of life. They are builders, consultants, stay-at-home parents, administrators, factory workers, care workers, students or people not currently employed. They are people who are able to give their time to assist the Fire and Rescue Service in return for a salary.

Every On-Call Firefighter carries an ‘alerter’ at all times whilst on duty, so they can respond to their Station when required, within a set time of a call. They can respond from their home during leisure time or, in some cases, from their place of work if their employer permits.

The service asks all On-Call Firefighters to commit to providing a specified number of hours of cover and to attend an evening training session each week (known as drill night).

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and details of all recruitment campaigns are on the website.

Candidates must be a minimum of 17 years and six months of age on the date of application and a minimum of 18 years of age on the first day of the Firefighter Training Course to be eligible to apply.

The service is currently recruiting for On-Call Firefighters at many local station and are particularly interested in applicants that can provide cover between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.

In Monmouthshire there are vacancies in Abergavenny, Usk, Chepstow, Caldicot and Monmouth.

An open day is planned for Abergavenny on Saturday August 13 from 10am to 1pm and anyone interested can go along.

For more information visit southwales-fire.gov.uk for more details on the recruitment process.