Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service are recruiting wholetime firefighters for the second time in nearly a decade and are looking for high quality candidates.

People interested in becoming a wholetime firefighter will need to ring a dedicated recruitment hotline (01487 830298), which opens at 10am on Saturday, February 21, and then attend one of 10 information events – details of which are on the CFRS website www.cambsfire.gov.uk.

Lines are open 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday, and 8am until 8pm, Monday to Friday, closing at 8pm on Friday, February 27.

There is one phone line and if it is engaged, people are encouraged to keep trying. Those interested in applying should only call the dedicated number and should not call outside of these hours. Lines will close when all 500 spaces at the information events have been filled.

Candidates must permanently reside within 10 miles of the county boundary, must be 18 on or before September 1, 2015, have five or more A* - C GCSEs or equivalent including maths and English language, be able to swim, hold a full UK driving licence without restrictions and not be subject to any unspent criminal convictions.

The Service recruited wholetime firefighters in 2014 for the first time in eight years and as a result, 10 trainee firefighters swelled the county’s ranks in January (2015) after passing their initial training course.

Chris Strickland, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, said: “Being a firefighter isn’t about being the biggest, strongest or most brave – there is much more to this career than running head first into a burning building. More and more of the day to day work of a wholetime firefighter is centred around preventing fires and other emergencies, educating people about fire risk and providing advice about keeping safe. We’re looking for people from a range of backgrounds who can bring different skills to a crew of firefighters.”

Interested candidates will have to attend an information event and undertake a thorough assessment process, including physical assessments and fitness and written tests.

For full details about becoming a wholetime firefighter and the selection process, log on to www.cambsfire.gov.uk and follow the link on the homepage.