A group of 20 new firefighter recruits started their training with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS).
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service new recruits
The successful recruits were among 720 hopefuls who responded to a large-scale recruitment campaign, run in October last year, to find new, full-time firefighters for Northamptonshire.
The team of trainees have now embarked on a 12-week training programme, which begins with four weeks in Northamptonshire before they move on to spend eight weeks at Fire Service College in Gloucestershire.
They marked their first day by meeting Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Darren Dovey and Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Stephen Mold.
CFO Darren Dovey said: “The calibre of these men and women is extremely high and they have come a long way through the rigorous recruitment process to impress us with their skills, commitment and potential to reach the standards we expect of our firefighters.”
The recruits will now spend one month in Northamptonshire, where they will be finding out about NFRS as an organisation and learning more about prevention and community safety work.
From there they will go to Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, where they will be learning skills ranging from the use of ladders in working safely at height, to firefighting techniques using breathing apparatus.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said: “I am incredibly proud to welcome these new recruits to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service. They join the service at such an exciting time, when it is changing and investing in the future. It’s a privilege for me to have been able to support the largest recruitment drive our Fire Service has seen for many years and to enable the investment in the new equipment and technology that the service badly needs. I know that the firefighters joining us today will have a great career with NFRS and I have high hopes for the part they will all play in keeping our county safe.”
