AN urgent appeal was this week issued to men and women in the Tavistock area to consider joining the town?s retained fire crews.

The service, which runs two pumps for Tavistock and the surrounding area, should have a complement of 20 ? but is currently run by just 16 volunteers.

Adge Tilke, retained liaison officer for Devon Fire and Rescue Service, said: ?We are desperate to alert the people of Tavistock that we are very serious about recruiting in the area.

?To have four places short is in itself significant, but what is even more worrying is they are for places to provide cover in the day time. We have no problem at night but we are getting to the situation where we are really desperate for cover during the day.?

Mr Tilke said the fire service relied on people in the community volunteering to serve as fire fighters and Tavistock appeared to be following a national trend, in which fewer people were putting themselves forward.

He said if no new volunteers were found, the station?s second engine could not be manned. Back-up would have to be sought from elsewhere, leading to delays which could have serious consequences during incidents.

Mr Tilke said the service was particularly keen to recruit more women to the force.

?We are absolutely sure there are many women out there who are perfectly able to become firefighters. The fire service still has this image of being macho but that isn?t the case now.

?We have been subject to health and safety rules for many years ? our equipment is much lighter now and you don?t have to be huge and strong,? said Mr Tilke.

He said the service is looking for male and female volunteers who are 18, reasonably fit, looking for a challenge and feel they would like to become part of a team.

Prospective firefighters have to undergo a medical, but there was no longer any height requirement ? volunteers were also accepted if they wore glasses or contact lenses, he said.

At present, retained firefighters are paid £2,000 per year, £14 for turning out to a ?shout? plus an hourly rate during incidents.

They are paid £12.50 for two hours training per week.

Although many retained firefighters are self-employed, some have arrangements with employers enabling them to turn out for the service during working hours.

Mr Tilke said: ?These employers are really the unsung heroes of the service ? in allowing people to go out and fight fires, they are really putting something into the community and providing a real service.?

A promotion campaign to attract new fire fighters to the Tavistock crews was due to begin this week ? anyone interested in finding out more should call 01392 872331.