About our volunteers

Volunteers in the Community Action Team

As a volunteer with the Community Action Team you can expect to get involved with a wide variety of community safety based activities. Three volunteers who started working with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's Community Action Team in January give their views on what they find most rewarding about their roles.

David Brearley

“When I first found out about the volunteer programme I thought it was a really good idea and I hoped to gain experience from it to help me become a firefighter. At first I was worried that as a volunteer I would be treated differently and the crews would be against the idea. After working with several different crews I feel a lot better. The firefighters I have worked with have been more than helpful and very nice towards me and I feel that they appreciate the work I do. I hope to carry on working as a volunteer and hopefully one day become a firefighter.

The training I was given was far better than I expected and I learnt a lot of things which I hope will help me in my future. The volunteers I work with are people of different ages and backgrounds as we all have our own reasons for being a volunteer but the team works well together and everyone I have met has been really nice and helpful towards me.

We have a lot of work to do and I think with the right additions to the team then we will carry on providing the crews with the help and support they need. I feel very proud and privileged to be part of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and I would just like to thank everyone who is involved with the volunteer programme and I look forward to a successful future.”

A volunteer fits a smoke alarm as part of a home fire risk assessment

Jane McClean

“I became a volunteer because I wanted to meet new people, learn new skills and give something back to the community.  I also wanted my husband and children to be proud of me. 

I had a bad experience with a previous employer so my confidence was at an all time low.  I had very little self esteem and just wanted to stay in my house and not speak to anyone. Since becoming a volunteer it has boosted my confidence ten-fold and it has given me the opportunity to go out of my comfort zone on many occasions!  I have learnt new skills such as assisting with interviews for potential new volunteers. “

Stuart Stockton

“I wanted to become a volunteer to learn about, and gain experience of the community work that the fire service and the operational fire crews get involved in.

I have gained a lot of experience in my short time as a volunteer. During my initial training I learnt a lot about the fire service and all its roles within the community as a whole, along with gaining some first aid and CPR training and learning how to perform home fire risk assessments (free fire safety checks).

Volunteers act as casualties when firefighters participate in road traffic collision training

Also, I have met a lot of new people both on Community Action Team and operational crews at fire stations in the Trafford Borough who have all been extremely friendly and approachable.

Working with the firefighters in road traffic collision training (we act as the casualties) and also at incident debriefs has been for me the most interesting and rewarding aspects of volunteering.  It has given me an excellent insight into some of the activities and roles firefighters perform daily as well as responding to emergency calls.”

Find out more about volunteering with us now
To receive further information and an application pack please call 0161 608 9225 or email volunteers@manchesterfire.gov.uk .