FROM Walford to Wareham – a campaign to recruit on-call firefighters in Dorset has received backing from the Queen Vic.

Shane Richie, famous for portraying Alfie Moon in the BBC soap opera Eastenders, features in a video calling for people to apply for the role at Wareham Fire Station.

“I’m appealing to your good nature, because Wareham Fire Station needs your help,” the 59-year-old star said.

“They need more on-call firefighters. (It’s) a wonderful opportunity to help your community, get paid and learn new skills.”

The Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service says on-call firefighters are ‘paid professionals, who do the same work as their wholetime colleagues’.

“Unlike wholetime firefighters, they are not based at the fire station but have other jobs and commitments, responding to emergencies only when their alerter goes off,” a spokesperson said.

On-call firefighters are usually contracted for between 40 and 120 hours of cover per week.

“Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends,” the spokesperson said.

“Around two thirds of the firefighters in Dorset and Wiltshire work on an on-call basis, making them hugely important to both the Service and the communities that they serve.

Wareham Fire Station

“Of our 50 stations, the majority are crewed only by on-call firefighters and on-call staff work alongside their wholetime colleagues at many of our other stations.”

For more information on becoming an on-call firefighter, and how to apply, log on to www.dwfire.org.uk/working-for-us/on-call-firefighters.