Fire Service
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Anne Waters |
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Mission StatementOxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service will strive to provide a safer community by reducing the incidence of fire through education, advice and when necessary enforcement and to sustain a highly effective and efficient fire and rescue service. We provide a variety of services for the citizens of Oxfordshire and those who visit or commute through the area: Emergency response to fires and other emergency situations threatening life or property, inspection, advice and enforcement on fire safety related matters. With 24 fire stations incorporating a number of fire safety centres and a network of supporting departments we provide:
A8 Deddington Fire Station Area & Call OutsDeddington Fire Station serves an area of 120 square miles, from Rousham Gap in the South to Adderbury in the north, and from Baynards Green across to the A361 Chipping Norton Road. The patch is a D risk area, the Home Office requires that a fire engine is in attendance within 20 minutes, our average response time is 8 minutes. In addition to covering our own patch we regularly provide back up support to Banbury and Bicester stations, and occasionally further afield. We answer an average of 180 -200 calls per year. These include house fires, barn and field fires, shop and factory fires, flooding, rescues and road traffic accidents. Retained Firefighters - Part Time Professionals
Being a retained firefighter is very exciting and rewarding. Every shout is different; we never know what to expect. There is great camaraderie between the crew members, who work together as a team in all kinds of situations. One minute we are at work, or at home relaxing, a few minutes later we are in our fire kit, on the fire engine, with the two tone sirens blaring, the blue lights flashing, not knowing what situation we are about to encounter, adrenaline levels sky high. No two shouts are ever the same. There is also satisfaction to be gained from serving the local community, the crew are very much part of village life, attending fetes, giving demonstrations, having groups of both young people and the elderly visiting the station. Fire safety awareness and community education is a key part of the job. We are involved in various fire safety initiatives, such as the campaign to Ban the Chip Pan, smoke alarm awareness and electric blanket safety testing. Members of the crew also assist with the Fire Service Youth Training Association, by instructing the Fire Cadets based at Kidlington. The young firefighters, aged between 12-18 years are trained in various aspects of firefighting, fire safety awareness, first aid and many other skills. We are also active fundraisers for Local and National charities, such as Children in Need and the Fire Services National Benevolent Fund. Anything goes; from sponsored parachute jump, rowing challenge, race night, quiz, sponsored head shave for the NSPCC (Anne and Rachel) to taking part in the Triathlon. The social aspect is a very important part of the job, and we arrange nights out, family days, BBQs etc. Deddington's CrewAnne Waters and Rachel Lewis are two mothers who organise their time on call to fit in with school runs, other part time jobs and daily routines. Our newest recruit is Chris Fenemore, who adjusts his shifts according to the farm calendar, lambing, harvest etc. Local employers kindly release Martin Freeman, Goldford Furnishings, Hudson Street. James Britchford works shifts in Banbury, and responds with us when he is at home. Peter Taylor, Jeremy Bolduc, Richard Bolton and Alex Douglas all work outside the village and they give cover at night and weekends. Training
FeesThe hourly rate of pay for retained firefighters has been brought into line with that of the full time firefighter, and an average monthly wage for a firefighter on the Deddington Crew is about £300 after deductions. Deddington Crewing Levels - New Recruits Needed!Unfortunately we do suffer from reduced crewing levels, especially during the day. This means that the fire engine is not able to turnout to emergencies at certain times. There are various causes of the recruitment problem; major employers have left the area, farms employ fewer people, local residents tend to work outside the area, and with the increasingly competitive marketplace, employers are not always able to release their staff. Our full compliment of crew is 12. Over the last few years we have managed to increase our numbers from an all time low of 6, up to our current level of 10, however we have two kit pegs left in the muster bay, so it is not too late! Could You Become A Retained Firefighter?
The cover that you give can be adapted to suit your lifestyle, eg day cover if you work locally, or night and weekend cover whilst you are at home. It does not have to be full cover, we can be flexible, if you have a varied shift pattern, if the time you have available has to fit around a school timetable, family arrangements or other work commitments, it is still possible to become a retained firefighter. The Recruitment ProcessYou are very welcome to come up to the fire station on a Tuesday night, meet the crew, watch us drill and find out more. Simply telephone the officer in charge of station and arrange a visit. If you decide that you would like to apply, the first step is to contact the hotline number to ask for an application pack. Once your paperwork is returned, you will be booked onto a recruitment selection day, these are held roughly every 2 or 3 months at Rewley Road fire station, in the centre of Oxford. Recruitment Hotline 0800 5 870 870The crew of A8 will be happy to help prepare you for the day, advise on an exercise programme etc. On the day you will undertake various tests. A ladder climb to check you are OK with heights, a test to see if you suffer from claustrophobia, physical strength tests, aerobic measurements, height and weight etc. A very simple English and maths assessment. These are followed by a medical and an interview. Once you pass the selection day you will be given a date for basic training at Didcot, this is a five day course on basic firefighting and associated skills. A safety assessment is then carried out, pass that successfully and you will be riding with us on the fire engine before you know it! There are many more further training opportunities as you progress through the two year probation period, these are mainly over weekends, so that any disruption to your main employment is kept to a minimum. Equal Opportunity PolicyOxfordshire County Council is an equal opportunity employer. The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is committed to providing equality of opportunity to every member of the community it serves. This also extends to all employees or potential employees. We have a Fairness and Dignity at Work policy, whereby everyone within our organisation has a right to be treated with respect, regardless of race, colour, gender, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. We are all different, but all equal, we respect differences. Traditionally, the job of the firefighter has been carried out by a white male, we are now seeking to redress the balance, to encourage more women and members of ethnic minority groups to become firefighters. By reflecting the communities we serve, we can provide a more effective service to meet their needs. The History of Deddington Fire Station and Its Crew
The third site was in Earls Lane, at this time the pump was a coal driven steamer, towed by horses. Since about 1930 the fire engine has been motorised. In 1952 the station moved to its present site in Banbury Road, the fire engine was then an ATV box van which towed a trailer pump with a hose reel. Deddington was proud to be the first station in Oxfordshire to take on a woman firefighter in 1987. Oxfordshire now has 26 women firefighters, and the number is steadily increasing. In November 2001, Sub Officer Humphries retired. Following in his father's footsteps, Albert joined the fire service in 1968 and in 1982 he took over as Officer In Charge of the station, a post he held until his retirement. It was a great loss to the station when Albert retired, the indomitable character, the wealth of experience and incredible local knowledge, are all sadly missed. Deddington is also proud to be the first station in the county to have a woman in charge, Anne Waters took over as Sub Officer in May 2002, following Albert's retirement. There have been a good few who gave many years of service at Deddington Fire Station, the local butcher Dick Powell served for 35 years, and local farmer Brian Fuller 30 years. The FutureThe future of Deddington Fire Station is wholly dependent upon the people who live and work in the Deddington area. The Council regularly monitors performance levels of fire stations, especially how many hours an engine is unable to turnout due to insufficient crew. Several times over the last decade we have been threatened with closure, however with our crew of 10 we are just about able to meet our targets most of the time. A crew of 12 would make this 100% of the time. Need More Information?
Contact: Fire Services Youth Training Association: Anne Waters (National Chair) 01869 337757 |
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is a specialised department of Oxfordshire County Council.
Deddington is a retained station; the firefighters carry alerters, which are activated by our control centre at Headquarters in Kidlington. Any time of day or night, the crew may be called upon to rapidly turn out in response to an emergency call. An important requirement for recruits is that they are able to respond to the fire station within five minutes of a call out.
We train every Tuesday night, 7 to 9pm. In addition to the weekly drill nights there are various training courses available for recruits, from Firefighting, First Aid, Breathing Apparatus, HGV Driving, through to Officer training at Moreton in Marsh. Although there is a very serious aspect to the work we do, we always try to keep it fun and enjoyable. I am pleased to say that the days of militaristic squad drills on the yard are a thing of the past, and enjoyment is a key element in our training programme.
There has been a fire station in the village since 1900. The original site of the station was at Goose Green, where they had a manual pump. It was later moved and the pump was then kept under the town hall.