For the first time in three years, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue are recruiting for new wholetime firefighters from the public.

Applications will open in August with awareness sessions being held in the weeks beforehand. Because of its rurality, Lincolnshire relies heavily on on-call firefighters, so there are fewer permanently crewed stations than most other fire services. However, a recruitment drive is now being held to fill around 20 vacancies across Lincolnshire's 9 full-time fire stations. Cllr Lindsey Cawrey, executive councillor for emergency services, said: "Being a firefighter is one of the most important and rewarding ways for someone to serve and protect their community. "When they join the service, our firefighters know that it is more than a job, it is a way of life. This pride in their work starts with recruitment training and builds when our recruits join their stations. "But the work is challenging, which is why Lincolnshire County Council continues to invest in new fire appliances, new breathing apparatus and why the internationally-renowned training facilities at Waddington give the best possible start to our firefighters' careers. "In Lincolnshire, our firefighters come from all types of backgrounds and professions, but what they share is a commitment to their community. We welcome applications from anyone who is looking for career that will challenge you and reward you like no other career can." Watch Manager Julia Whitfield said: "The recruitment process is quite long as we need to assess all aspects of people's abilities, with successful applicants starting their training in January 2022. You need to be a resident in Lincolnshire and over 18, with a full driving license. If you want to find out more, please come along to one of our awareness sessions or visit our website for the details." Awareness sessions are being held this month which includes the opportunity to try some of the online and physical tests. You can book onto the sessions here. Monday 19 July at 1545hrs Sunday 25 July at 1245 hrs. Wednesday 28 July at 1545 hrs. There will be an additional awareness session held on Sunday 25 July at 0845hrs. This is a positive action session for under-represented groups in the Fire Service, so we can address particular concerns and overcome barriers for people during the application process. This includes:

o Women

o People from BAME groups

o People who do not have English as a first language

o The LGBTQ community. Please note though that people from these groups are welcome to attend any of the other awareness sessions too. Find out more at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr and choose 'apply to be a wholetime firefighter'.