Shropshire's rural firefighters have got a much needed helping hand - in the shape of eight extra full time support staff.
And the man whose actions triggered off the recruitment drive today praised the initiative as a "Godsend" for retained firefighters at rural stations across the county.
The Retained Support Officers will provide a valuable back up service assisting training, recruitment and fire safety campaigns, liaising with employers and families and helping with administration.
All experienced firefighters, they will also turn out to emergency calls at understaffed fire stations.
It was Clun Sub Officer Trevor Williams who was instrumental in their recruitment when he sent the fire authority a detailed diary of his long working day from dawn until dusk working both as a firefighter while running his family poultry farm business, Clun Farm Eggs.
"This is going to be a big help to all of Shropshire's retained firefighters'. It will take the pressure off us especially when we have our own businesses to run. There were simply not enough hours in the day before," said Trevor (40), who wrote to the fire authority about his busy life running a business and a rural fire station.
The RSO's will be based around the county's rural fire stations at Ludlow, Oswestry, Market Drayton and Bridgnorth.
The new jobs were created following a recommendation in a national review of the retained service and the findings of a review by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service.
