Isle of Man employers urged to let staff be part-time firefighters

Part-time staff make up the majority of the island's fire service

Employers have been urged to speak to the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service about giving staff permission to become part-time firefighters.

A new liaison role has been created by the service to help firms understand the potential benefits as well as the impact of their employees signing up.

Divisional officer Carl Kinvig, who holds the post, said some candidates had "struggled to get permission".

It comes as part of a drive to boost the number of on-call firefighters.

They make up about two-thirds of the 150 staff employed by the fire service, and provide emergency cover across six of the island's seven fire stations.

Each of the retained firefighters has to commit 120 hours of time to the role a week, with their availability booked into a central system.

'Actively support'

Mr Kinvig said there might be some who were interested in the role but did not ask their bosses "because they think they will say no".

The liaison role has been designed to give employers "a link to someone who can answer their questions" and to encourage them to "actively support" those who want to be on-call firefighters, he added.

An average callout would take about an hour, and the majority were "not going to come in during the day time", Mr Kinvig said.

But a part-time firefighter's main job "takes precedence and it is up to the employer to say yes you can go on this call, or no I can't spare you at this time", he added.

Mr Kinvig said employers could also benefit from having staff trained to work under pressure who also have first aid and fire safety skills.