Hundreds of people turned up to see what it takes to be a retained firefighter at the Easingwold Training Centre Open Day.

North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service is appealing for more men and women to sign up in communities across York and North Yorkshire.

The open day was held yesterday to raise the profile of retained crews, who are professional firefighters trained by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, but who work on a part-time basis.

Practical demonstrations like the one in the picture showed the correct way to use a ladder so that you are secure and able to use your hands freely .

Cecil Pugh, station manager for the Selby and Tadcaster area, said the service needed to hear from people close to the stations in need of more staff.

These include Acomb, Huntington, Selby and Tadcaster in the south area, along with Helmsley, Malton, Pickering, Sherburn, Easingwold and Thirsk in the east area, and Boroughbridge and Knaresborough in the west.

“We have significant problems in being able to employ people who can provide cover during the day time,” said station manager Pugh.

“Employers are much more reluctant to release their employees while they are at work.

“We are principally looking for daytime cover from people who either live or work within five minutes of the fire station so they can respond to the station within a reasonable time.”

Retained firefighters provide on-call cover from home or work, and are alerted to emergencies by their pager.

Mr Pugh said the number of times people were called out varied throughout the year – factors such as flooding could mean crews receive frequent calls for help. There is the potential to earn up to £100 a week for attending callouts and two hours training each week.

But Mr Pugh, who has been in the service for 21 years, said it was about more than money.

“It is about serving the community,” he said, adding that there were also plenty of opportunities for personal development.

For more details, log on to northyorksfire.gov.uk or phone 01609 788563/788533.