SAVING lives and educating residents on fire safety is all in a day's work for the Tavistock firefighters.

Tavistock is lucky enough to have 19 dedicated retained firefighters who also work a 'normal' day to day job, whilst being at the mercy of their pager.

Being a firefighter for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is not always like the pictures painted in the American TV shows — sometimes the pager can go a day or two without sounding, giving them a break from the unfortunate and distressing sights they have to witness.

But when that pager does sound they have exactly five minutes to get to the station — sometimes an impossibility, especially along the town's busiest roads — no matter what time of day or night, if they are in the middle of a meal, or simply spending precious time with their families.

These men and women have to deal with all sorts of situations and must be at the peak of their physical fitness to be able to protect and help the community they serve.

Tavistock is a two pump station and supports nearby villages which are one pump, including Yelverton, Bere Alston and Princetown.

The station receives around 250 call outs per year for Tavistock and surrounding villages, from Lifton and Lydford to Peter Tavy, Mary Tavy and Sydenham Damerel. At approximately 273 square km to cover that equates to around 18,000 people to protect and educate about fire safety.

In Devon alone there are 1,200 retained firefighters with a usual contract of 84 mandatory hours on top of their daily job —not the easiest of tasks!

Training for Tavistock is completed once a week on a Thursday from 7pm to 9pm, ranging from using breathing apparatus, safety at height equipment, ladder training, water training, vehicle incidents, pump training, and first person on scene training.

Occasionally, training is completed off site using local locations, including Pinder Court in Tavistock — a prime example of a multi-storey flat complex where they practise how to tackle a fire in a high rise building.

Situated at Abbey Rise, Tavistock, the fire station has two appliances, a 4x4 vehicle and 14 retained firefighters, plus two watch managers Glenn Arundel and Mitch Kingham, and three crew managers Simon Smith, Chris Hicks and Ian Smith.

But they are on the look out for new men or women to join the ranks — do you have what it takes?

A recruitment drive open evening is being held on Wednesday, October 22 at Tavistock Fire Station at 7pm to find three people, male or female, who work and or live in Tavistock. You must be over 18-years-old but there is no upper age limit — as long as you are able to complete the fitness test and maintain the high standard you could be in the running.

Watch manager Glenn Arundel said: 'The recruits must be able to respond throughout the day and alternate weekends. They need to realise the commitment we make and the job we do — it's not all about putting out fires, we do deal with some very traumatic incidents, and the recruits will need to understand this from the beginning.'

For the main part, like in any force, the new recruits will need to work as part of a team.

Glenn said: 'The firefighters here are trustworthy, reliable, dependable and committed. They want to learn and are prepared to develop, they have banter and they enjoy their job, as well as working well as a team — and these are qualities we are looking for with the new recruits.'

Bethan Ayling, 24, joined the service two years ago, and even though the prospect of being the only woman in the Tavistock station was daunting she said that the firefighters were supportive and took her under their wing.

'I joined because you get to be a part of the community, help others and have a rewarding job.'

On being the only female firefighter, Bethan said: 'It's nice as I am looked after. It is daunting to begin with but I think they (prospective female recruits) would benefit as it is a rewarding job and I would recommend it to all.'

Chris Hicks, who joined the service in 2004, said: 'I joined as it is a job which you can do for the community — not only are you keeping your own family safe but also keeping loved ones of friends and families within the community safe.

'Recruits need to be able to work as part of a team and work in town during the day, and want to work for the community and keep people safe.'

Nathan McCarter joined the fire service when he was 20 years old and has been a retained firefighter for almost nine years.

He said the prospective candidates should understand that being a retained firefighter involves having a high level of commitment.

'You need to be proactive and understand that it takes a lot of commitment. Being in the fire service is a lifestyle, it's not just a job, but if you want the challenge and opportunity then make sure you apply.

'I find being a firefighter a hobby and a distraction from my day to day job and I find that I can make a difference and help save people's lives.

'The love of the job has not worn off, even after nine years.'

l If you would like to apply call 01392 872294 or email dsfire.gov.uk