Four firefighters who have joined the ranks at Huntingdonshire fire stations are among 10 new Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service recruits.

The Hunts Post: New firefighter John Woolfe.New firefighter John Woolfe. (Image: Archant)

It is the first time in eight years that CFRS has employed new full-time firefighters, who have all completed a 10-week training course in Wales.

Three of them will be based at Huntingdon while the fourth will be at St Neots.

Among them is John Woolfe, who is 27. He was previously an IT systems engineer before switching to the fire service, having been an on-call firefighter in his home town of St Neots.

The father-of-three said: “Before being successful in my wholetime firefighter application, I used to sit behind a desk as a systems engineer – it was very different.

“Now I’m on my watch at Huntingdon I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone and experiencing watch life.

“Training with live fire at Cardiff was an experience you cannot get anywhere else other than on a real job. I’ve been on-call and done training but it was really good experience for 10 weeks.

“The most interesting thing I learned in my initial training was how important positive pressure ventilation fans are and the many ways in which they can be used.”

Ross Turner, 25, of Cottenham, and Andy Ellis, 28, of Hampton, near Peterborough will be at Huntingdon.

Adam Hanney, 23, who used to work for Tesco, joins a St Neots crew.

Chief fire officer Graham Stagg said: “Being a firefighter in a modern fire and rescue service is not about being the strongest, the biggest or the bravest anymore.

“With such a small percentage of crews’ time spent at operational jobs, the role of a firefighter is about serving the community in so many different ways.”