Canvey Island Fire Station set to hold its first training course

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is set to hold its first on-call firefighter training course at Canvey Island Fire Station following a successful recruitment drive in the town.

Following a recent recruitment campaign, more than 30 candidates who expressed their interest in the role of an on-call firefighter at Canvey Island Fire Station were invited to several socially distanced events in April to find out more about the role and what it involves.

These events were held over two days and on a training night, on 13 and 29 April.  The candidates, who pre-booked slots to ensure Covid-19 guidelines were followed, got the opportunity to meet with Station Manager Al Green, On-Call Liaison Officers and serving on-call firefighters to find out how on-call firefighting fits in with their daily lives, and ask any questions about the job.

They also met the Service Fitness Team where they were offered support and training plans as well as being given an opportunity to practice the Chester Treadmill Test which forms part of the fitness assessments for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.

Some of Canvey Island’s on-call firefighters also demonstrated a drill, with the training team explaining to candidates what was happening and why and what to expect on the Basic Training Course.

Station Manager Al Green from Canvey Island Fire Station said: “We’re really excited to hold our first ever training course at Canvey Island Fire Station and hope to welcome five new recruits into our crews following this course. It will be great for the recruits to train at the fire station they will be serving at and with colleagues they will be working with but it’s also great for the local community to see our fire station being used in this way.

“Our recent recruitment drive saw more than 30 people express their interest in joining us and so far, 20 of them are in the recruitment process and 5 people from Canvey are booked onto Canvey Island Fire Station’s first training course which begins on 5 July with other firefighters on the course heading to Wickford and Corringham Fire Stations. This is fantastic and shows the dedication our community has for looking after one another.

“I look forward to welcoming our new recruits and would encourage anyone who is interested in joining Canvey Island Fire Station as an on-call firefighter to get in touch, we’re always happy to answer any questions you have about the role.”

Canvey Island Fire Station is an on-call fire station where on-call firefighters are paid to protect their local community by responding to incidents when paged. If you live or work within 5 minutes of Canvey Island Fire Station, you could be an on-call firefighter. Find out more about the role at essex-fire.gov.uk/canvey