On-call firefighter Dan Hale.
After his Merchant Navy career was cut short by injury, Dan Hale became a mechanic.
But he always felt that something was missing.
Now the 35-year-old has found his drive once more as an on-call firefighter with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS).
The dad-of-three lives just five minutes away from Bishop Auckland Fire Station and is on-call for around 120 hours a week to respond to incidents when alerted by his pager.
“It’s the best job I have ever had,” Dan said.
“It’s really exciting as you never know what you are going to get called out to or know what is going to be the next challenge.
“But at the same time, you are not worried because the training you have had means you are prepared for it.”
Dan started working for the Service in February this year and responds to emergencies in his free time outside of his day job as a mechanic.
Since then, he has attended a range of incidents including building fires and road traffic collisions.
“There are so many great aspects of the job, but I particularly like being able to help people in the community where I live and learning new skills,” he said.
“It is also really rewarding to be able to deal with challenging situations as a team.
“When I was training, I couldn’t believe how much people would go out of their way to give you extra help.
“Everyone wants to support each other to be their best so it is a really nice environment to work in.”
Dan said he recently enjoyed a “proud moment” when his children visited the fire station along with partner Charlotte, 35.
“The kids love that I am an on-call firefighter,” he said.
“They all know that when I am at home and my pager goes off, I have to run out the door, so it was really nice to be able to take them down to the station so they could have a look around and see the fire engines that I go on.”
As CDDFRS recruits more on-call firefighters across County Durham, Dan urged anyone interested to apply.
“If you have any questions, pop into your local fire station,” he said.
“Someone will be happy to speak to you and explain things as we are keen to see more on-call firefighters join the Service.”
CDDFRS is looking for on-call firefighters for 13 of its fire stations, with a particular need at Durham, High Handenhold, Stanhope, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, Crook and Sedgefield.
Applicants must live or work within five minutes of a fire station and only individuals aged 17 years and six months or older are eligible to apply.
The role is paid and successful candidates will receive intensive training.
The full list of stations and their drill nights can be found on the Service website here.
Applications for the role are open now. Click here to apply.
