From Surrey News
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) welcomed 12 new firefighters into the service last month.
Out of the group, 10 are wholetime and two on-call. The group of wholetime have completed their 14-week training which started on Monday 14 September.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the pass out parade has been postponed and will be held at a later date.
SFRS’s Chief Fire Officer, Steve Owen-Hughes, said, “I am deeply sorry to have had to cancel this parade, it was not an easy decision. I joined the fire and rescue service over 30 years ago as a firefighter so I know how important pass out parades are to our new colleagues and their families. I look forward to meeting these new recruits either on the fire ground or at their rescheduled parade.
“The training they have undertaken is not easy, it takes hard work, determination and teamwork and that is what every single one of these new recruits have shown. Welcome to Team Surrey, I look forward to working with you.”
The firefighters and the stations they will be posted to are:
- Firefighter Kyle Bemrose, Leatherhead Green Watch
- Firefighter Matthew Buggy, Esher White Watch
- Firefighter Kyle Bury, Salford’s Red Watch
- Firefighter Samuel Campbell, Dorking Red Watch
- Firefighter Sarah Cox, Epsom Green Watch
- Firefighter Robert Dickinson, Esher Green Watch
- Firefighter Kevin Hallam, Walton Bravo Watch
- Firefighter Daniel Martin, Haslemere Alpha Watch
- Firefighter Samuel Montague, Dorking Green Watch
- Firefighter Benjamin Newell, Farnham White Watch
- Firefighter Brett Carpenter, Godalming on-call fire station
- Firefighter Jake Claxon, Cranleigh on-call fire station
Cabinet Member for Communities, Denise Turner Stewart, said, “Much like Steve, I am extremely disappointed that we could not hold this important celebration for our new colleagues. I look forward to meeting all of the recruits in the future when we are able to reschedule this event, it’s also an opportunity for us to celebrate their family and friends who will be by their side every step of the way in their new career. Our teams have been working hard to ensure all of our events are accessible during the Covid-19 pandemic, so please keep a look out for service news and join us in the future.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank our superb training team for their knowledge and expertise, and everyone else behind the scenes who has helped towards enabling this course. The service offers exceptional career aspects, so I look forward to seeing the future achievements and development from this group, they may even go on to become instructors of our future firefighters.”
The group recently completed a charity event raising money for The Fire Fighters Charity. They ‘cycled home for Christmas’ which was the equivalent of 543 miles on an indoor bike and raised £1,642 – smashing their target by 136%.
SFRS currently has opportunities for firefighters on on-call contracts, these are skilled people from all walks of life who offer daytime, evening and/or weekend cover at on-call fire stations in addition to their normal, day-to-day commitments. Just like their wholetime counterparts, they work on the front line protecting their community and are alerted by a pager when we need them. More information about current SFRS vacancies is available at www.surreycc.gov.uk/firecareers.
