Daniel joined Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service (WFRS) as an on-call firefighter in June 2022 alongside his job in engineering.
He explained:
“I decided to apply as I wanted to make a difference in my community and help those around me. Also, I wanted to explore an unfamiliar avenue and gain a new set of skills.
“Being on-call works well around my engineering role – I still get time to myself as well as attending work, call-outs and training courses. I get time to spend with family and go to the gym.”
When asked what an ‘average’ call-out is like, Daniel said:
“Every call out is different and that’s what I enjoy: every time my alerter goes off, I get a rush of adrenaline. I have attended a range of different incidents at all hours of the day and night. For example, it can be a fire alarm going off, it can be a house or field fire, or a car accident where we need to assist other agencies in getting the person in danger to safety and administering first aid. It’s hard to describe an average call-out as they are all so different!”
As for the best part about being on-call:
“For me, I like the fact I can still have my own life, it doesn’t get taken over. I can still enjoy my other job, hobbies and spending time with family and friends. I also love working in the community that I live in as it enables me to see the impact I am making.”
Regarding the challenges of the role, Daniel shared:
“I think the biggest challenge I have come across is having to slightly adapt how me, my family and friends create a work-life balance. When friends ask me to meet up last minute, this isn’t always possible while being on-call. On the other hand, I have found new ways to spend quality time with those closest to me and it has made me more organised in planning events in advance.”
Daniel also discussed how those around him felt about his decision to join the Fire & Rescue Service:
“When I told my friends that I was going to apply they were shocked, but when I got through, they were happy for me. My family were a little unsure but, as they could see my passion, they supported me. My parents, siblings and girlfriend are especially proud of me. I think those around me are happy for me as they can see how much enjoy it, they are seeing me grow both as a person and in developing my skillset.”
“If you’re thinking about becoming an on-call firefighter, I’d say ‘do it, you won’t regret it!’ It’s such a rewarding job that enables you to grow so much and you get to experience so many different things. You also get to make an impact in the community you live in.”
We also heard from Daniel’s girlfriend, Abbie, who shared her thoughts on his on-call career:
“When he first told me about wanting to apply to being an on-call firefighter, I felt a mix of emotions. I was excited as it was the first-time he was truly passionate about something, he was very excited and that was lovely to see. However, I was concerned about how it may affect us as a couple as well as him; physically and emotionally.”
“I would like to say that I am so proud of him, he achieves so much more than I ever could and when I see ‘thank you’ posts on Facebook, knowing that he helped makes me so happy. With every call-out he comes back from, he grows and develops his skillset and his passion for firefighting gets bigger and bigger. So I say to him, “yeah, I'm proud of you and keep being you!”
We’re always looking for on-call firefighters to join our service. If Daniel’s story has inspired you and you live or work within five minutes from an on-call fire station, or would be able to do your main job remotely from one of our stations, learn more and apply now.