“I know I make a difference, however small, and the fact that I am making a difference means a lot to me.”
This is how Kevin Fulleylove, 41, from Atherstone, describes his role as an on-call firefighter based at Atherstone Fire Station.
Kevin has worked as an on-call firefighter for seven years and balances his firefighting work with a full-time role with UPS SCS where he has worked for five years.
He said: “I have always been interested in becoming an on-call firefighter and my best friend was working in the Service encouraging me to sign-up. For a number of years, I didn’t have the time due to my sporting commitments as I played quite a bit of football, boxed and have done some coaching too.
“Then a few years ago I thought perhaps it might be the right time to apply and it was something I really wanted to do. It is a massive commitment and I spoke with my wife about it. She said that would back me with the decision to apply and I have never looked back from the initial tests and training courses. I have broadened my horizons and made new friends too.”
One of the challenges with on-call firefighting is finding the correct balance between the full-time and part-time roles.
Kevin said: “I got approval from my boss at UPS SCS and we have an agreement that if I were ever to lose time in my full-time role then I would make it up. Occasionally, we might get called out late at night and arrive back early in the morning and in those situations I tend to have a few more coffees the next day.”
On-call firefighting can offer lots of opportunities to pick up new skills and build experiences with new equipment.
Kevin said: “I am always keen to learn and enjoyed taking part in an Acting Up course that allows me to step up and take control at an incident if a Crew Commander is not present. This has helped my people and leadership skills and I think has helped in my full-time role too.
“Anyone thinking about applying should feel able to ask questions about how the role will work for them.”
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service is currently recruiting on-call firefighters across the county. For more information about becoming an on-call firefighter, visit: https://bit.ly/WFRSoncall.