Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is to grow in strength for the first time in five years.
Firefighter recruitment campaign
A recruitment drive has just taken place to net 32 whole-time firefighters. Twenty of these will be needed over the course of the year to fill posts that become vacant as serving firefighters leave or retire.
Twelve of these posts are brand new, growing the strength of the Fire Service from 242 to 254 – 12 extra firefighters to keep Northamptonshire safe.
NFRS will also purchase seven new vehicles – five fire engines and two water rescue vehicles – to replace ageing and outdated equipment.
The recruitment drive has been made possible by the transfer of governance to Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold.
This meant that the portion of the council tax collected for the Fire Service will only be spent on the Fire Service.
The Chief Fire Officer and his team now have control of fire service resources and are able to create a capital investment programme and plan for the future.
Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey said: “At Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service we pride ourselves in working as hard as possible, with the resources available to us, to keep the people in this county safe. This extra investment in more firefighters and vehicles is very welcome in helping us become even more resilient and to strengthen the support we give to the community in dealing with emergencies, as well as preventing them.”
PFCC Stephen Mold said: “I’m really proud to have been able to support the Fire Service to quickly reach a stable position where this investment can be made to increase the number of firefighters in the county and so enhance the capacity of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service.”
