‘I’ve been part of some amazing things since joining the service as an on-call firefighter’

A crew manager at Barton-under-Needwood Community Fire Station has shared how he has had the opportunity ‘to be part of some amazing things’ since he joined the service as an on-call firefighter.

We are currently recruiting new on-call firefighters across Staffordshire, and Crew Manager Ant Doolan is encouraging anyone considering the role to ‘give it a go’, like he did over a decade ago.

Ant first joined the service as an on-call firefighter in 2012 and worked full-time as a welder initially, before going on to join the service wholetime too.

Speaking about what drew him in initially, Ant said: “I never knew on-call existed until I moved to Barton-under-Needwood and saw a sign in the window of the fire station saying ‘on-call firefighters wanted’.

“I thought, ‘what’s all that about’, and knocked on to have a chat with the crew and haven’t looked back since.

“It’s even led to a full-time career for me and I’ve had the opportunity to be part of some amazing things, including being part of a convoy taking appliances over to Ukraine, nominated for medals and invited to Buckingham Palace.”

One of Ant’s favourite things about the role, is being able to help others in the community. He said: “During every incident we attend, we help the community and I’m very lucky to be the person that is there for others when they need help.

“It gives you a sense of pride to know that we make a difference every day, there aren’t many jobs where you can say that!”

The crew at Barton-under-Needwood currently has a huge range of experience levels, from one firefighter who has been in the service for around 24 years, to newer recruits still in their first year.

Ant has worked as a crew manager at Barton-under-Needwood for around four years.

He said: “As part of my role, I look after the crew and ensure that everyone who attends an incident is safe.

“I also get a wider understanding of the fire service in general and what we do which is helpful, especially when we go to other stations for training.

“We usually do around two or three hours of training a week, and for those who are still in development, which is the first three years of service, they get an extra four hours of training.

“Sometimes the training is practical, to make sure we’ve got the techniques right, but sometimes we do scenario-based training where we practice real-life incidents.”

Anyone over the age of 18, who lives or works close to an on-call station can apply to become an on-call firefighter, and all applicants will go through the same recruitment and training process.

Barton-under-Needwood Community Fire Station is one location currently accepting applications for new on-call firefighters to join the crew. Speaking about this, Ant said: “I’d encourage anyone considering the role to just go for it, I’ve had some amazing opportunities through the service and none of that would have happened if I didn’t knock on Barton’s door one day and speak to the crew.

“It’ll be a new normal, but it’s such a rewarding job knowing that you’re making a difference to somebody when they’re in need.”

To find out more and apply, visit On-call firefighter recruitment.

Applications close on Wednesday 11 February.