A former County Durham milkman has swapped his float for a fire engine.
Brad Main, who spent his teenage years delivering milk around County Durham, realised his childhood ambition of joining the fire service in March 2022, later becoming an on-call firefighter.
The 22-year-old, gives up his free time to respond to incidents from his home in Spennymoor.
He said: "I joined the Fire Cadets at Spennymoor Fire Station when I was a teenager, which was a real eye-opener for me as I got to know a bit more about the service and the background of the job."
He is now an industrial firefighter and site protection officer at Falck Fire Services UK and remains on call in his free time.
On-call firefighters are paid and come from a range of career backgrounds.
Since joining the County Durham and Darlington service (CDDFRS), Brad has been called out to tackle a variety of fires but said one of the best parts of the job is meeting new people and inspiring youngsters.
He said: "I love working for the service. The thing I enjoy most is meeting new people.
"Everyone I have met in the service has been lovely, and it’s a great place to work.
"Being a firefighter is really rewarding, and you have real job satisfaction by getting to test yourself and challenge yourself every day."
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He urged anyone interested in becoming an on-call firefighter to apply, adding: "My advice would be to just go for it."
CDDFRS is currently recruiting on-call firefighters, with a particular need in Stanhope, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, High Handenhold, Crook, Sedgefield, and Durham.
Applicants must live or work within five minutes of a fire station and be aged 17 years and six months or older.
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