Fire station 'desperately needs' crew to stay open
Cumbria Fire and Rescue ServiceA fire station has said it is in "desperate need" of firefighters to join its crew to ensure the service can stay running.
Broughton in Furness Fire Station, in Cumbria, said neighbouring stations in Millom and Coniston had responded first to a number of incidents in the Broughton area as a temporary solution while it worked to increase numbers.
Station manager Tom Wright said three new on-call firefighters were due to start and two more were going through the recruitment process.
In a post on Facebook, the station said it was "desperate need of the people of Broughton to get behind the station and keep it up and running as we don't want to lose it".
An on-call firefighter is a local resident who responds to fire and rescue situations and emergencies on a part-time basis.
Wright said: "We provide a predominantly on-call fire and rescue service in Cumbria, with more than 75% of our fire stations being crewed by on-call firefighters."
He said on-call firefighters responded from home or their main job when alerted to an emergency.
"Broughton is a station that currently has a reduced number of on-call firefighters available to respond within their local area," he continued.
"The team at Broughton are working hard with myself and the wider service to address this."
Encouraging residents to join the service, he said that "being an on-call firefighter is an immensely rewarding career – you'll be joining a community-focused service and a crew that's passionate about protecting their area".
