New fire fighters are ready to start serving their communities at stations across the county after passing a rigorous training programme.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has welcomed 12 new on-call firefighters.

Group Commander Karl Bowden said: “Being an on-call firefighter is a challenging yet rewarding opportunity, and we wish them the very best as they start their journeys here in Cambridgeshire.

“The training course is challenging and these individuals have already demonstrated their outstanding commitment and dedication, not just to the fire service but to themselves and their communities.

“We rely heavily on the continued support of on-call firefighters and their families up and down the county, which is why it is so encouraging to see the latest group join us.”

On-call firefighters are trained professionals who respond to emergencies in their communities alongside their day-to-day lives.

They may be at home, work or out and about when they receive a pager alert and straight away they must jump into action and get ready to deal with any incident.

The new recruits completed three months training at Huntingdon.

• Chatteris. Mark Street, 27, refrigeration and air-conditioning engineer.

• Manea. Rhys Fenn, 19, joins the crew in addition to his job as a bus and coach engineer.

• March. IT engineer Chris Harrold, 23, and prison officer Mark Peachey, 50.

• Wisbech. Mark Evans, 36, a factory operator.

On-call firefighters have to be aged 18 and over, have a good level of all-round fitness and live or work within five minutes travelling time of an on-call fire station. CFRS is recruiting on-call firefighters and to find out more call 01480 444500 or visit their website.