Footballer and carpet fitter helping save lives
SuppliedA semi-professional footballer and a carpet fitter are among those helping to save lives as on-call firefighters.
Kory Whitfield, 24, and Stuart Proud, 36, juggle their respective trades with responding to emergency calls at Crook Fire Station in County Durham.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) is "urgently" looking for new recruits to join the on-call team at Crook.
Whitfield, a midfielder for Tow Law Town, said: "When my pager goes off to alert me to an incident, I feel an adrenaline rush because I know I am going to help someone."
The paid job is open to residents aged over 17 and a half years who are able to attend the fire station within five minutes of an emergency alert.
Applicants must be able to commit to a minimum number of hours per week, ranging from 40 to 120, and attend weekly training to practice their skills.
Proud has been fitting carpets in the area for 20 years and said knowing the layout of the houses helped him navigate emergency call-outs.
Karen Harland PhotographyWhitfield joined CDDFRS three years ago after spotting a recruitment advert.
"I spoke to the firefighters about the job and was shown around the station," he said, adding: "I just thought 'let's go for it'."
Whitfield was also encouraged to apply by his uncle, a whole or full time firefighter at nearby Bishop Auckland.
He is now on-call for about 120 hours a week when he is not at football training or matches.
He said the football kept him fit to carry out his firefighting duties.
"It is a really exciting job where you get to interact with the community and feel like you are giving something back," he said.
Whitfield said he once had to leave his hot Christmas dinner to attend a call-out, "but to help someone was worth it".
He added he would like to become a whole time firefighter.
SuppliedProud has been an on-call firefighter at Crook station for three years.
He said his dream was to be a whole time firefighter but at the moment he was happy because he could balance the role with his carpet fitting.
"[As a carpet fitter] I've been in every single house type and business - most houses are different and when you go in as firefighter it helps to know the layout," he said.
Proud said he once had to leave for a call-out halfway through fitting a friend's living room carpet, which "was funny".
According to CDDFRS, about half of their operational workforce is made up of on-call firefighters who attend incidents ranging from house fires to road traffic collisions.
