NEW firefighters are being recruited in the region for the first time in six years.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) will begin a recruitment drive to select a new intake of wholetime firefighters on Tuesday, January 10.

Successful applicants will be deployed to watches at fire stations across County Durham and the borough of Darlington which covers an area of 2,500 square kilometres, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

There are several stages to the recruitment process starting with a series of online assessments and initial submissions must be completed no later than 9am on January 16.

These online assessments will be followed by role related assessments and a formal interview, which will be held at various CDDFRS sites across the county up until Friday, March 3.

Successful applicants will also be invited to complete a fitness assessment and medical as well as pre-employment checks.

Chief fire officer, Stuart Errington, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of a high performing fire and rescue service saving lives and working to prevent dangerous situations happening in the first place.

“Firefighters are probably best known for responding to 999 emergency calls to tackle fires but the modern day role involves a huge range of work.

“Our crews are called to deal with road traffic collisions, chemical spills, water rescue operations, flooding, animal rescues and collapsed buildings.

“We have also been supporting North East Ambulance Service as part of an Emergency Medical Response trial for the past year. During this trial CDDFRS has responded to more than 3132 calls involving cardiac arrests.

“Our firefighters also perform a vital role in community safety and prevention work. Through our Safe and Wellbeing visits we visit homes to provide fire safety advice, fit smoke alarms and also assess people’s health and safety needs when and where appropriate. Following such assessments we work closely with our partners in the NHS, local councils, charities and Durham Police to offer referrals that can help people to stay safe and well in their homes.

“Educational initiatives in schools, colleges and community groups are also an important part of the work that our firefighters carry out. We are looking for friendly, personable women and men from all walks of life who are physically fit and can adapt to a wide range of situations.”

In return, CDDFRS will offer full firefighter training at its new state-of-the-art training centre in Bowburn, Durham.

Once qualified, firefighters will receive continued training to allow them to progress into specialist roles.

CFO Stuart Errington added: “Our Service is currently under-represented by women, people from our ethnic minority and LGBT communities.

"CDDFRS exists to protect and serve everyone who lives and works in our area and we can best do that if our firefighters are the best people from all walks of life. We would encourage everyone who would be proud to work for us to apply and find out more.”

Recruitment opens at 9am on January 10 when a link to the online test will be posted at ddfire.gov.uk