Become a fire service volunteer (From Crewe Guardian)

Become a fire service volunteer

2:10pm Saturday 11th August 2012 in News By Matthew Taylor

AN award-winning team of Cheshire volunteers, which provides a free clean-up service for people who have had a fire in the home, is seeking new recruits.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Post-Fire Support Team are dispatched to help victims of a fire get their lives back on track.

Over the last year, the team has attended 20 callouts in its specially equipped van, cleaning waterlogged areas, clearing fire soot and dismantling and bagging up damaged furniture for -disposal.

Volunteer, Bill Smith, explained: "Even quite a small fire causes a lot of smoke that gets everywhere. When fire occurs people’s lives change instantly. We try to get them back to how they lived before the fire. It’s especially important for older people, for whom even cleaning a cupboard can be difficult.”

The team operates on a 24-hour rota. Its eight volunteers - one fire service employee and seven trained civilians - work in pairs across 24 fire stations in the county.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, visit www.cheshirefire.gov.uk/jobs, call Claire Bennett on 01606 868654, or email claire.bennett@cheshirefire.gov.uk