Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call firefighters in Truro and St Ives to help provide emergency cover for the county.

The service is looking for people who want to help their local community and live or work within four minutes of their local community fire station.

There are currently more than 400 on-call firefighters in Cornwall who are on standby ready to respond to fire, road traffic collisions, flooding or any other emergency situation.

Since the start of December, on-call crews from 17 stations around the county have helped flood-hit communities and last week crews from Bude and Delabole rescued a driver who had become trapped in flood water.

In addition to the weekly "drill night" training sessions, on-call firefighters are called out on average two to three times a week for around an hour at a time.

Nathaniel Hooton, a station manager for the service, said: "On-call firefighters play a vital role within Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, as they provide both an emergency response and bring strong community ties that help us understand the needs of the communities we serve."

New recruits, particularly those that are able to response during the day, are being sought especially in Truro and St Ives, as well as St Austell, Polruan, Liskeard, Launceston, Callington, Lostwithiel and Wadebrige.

To become an on-call firefighter you must be aged at least 17.5, be physically fit and live or work very close to your closest fire station - as you will need to be able to get to the station within four minutes of a call.

For more information and to apply visit www.cornwall.gov.uk/firecareers, email firecareers@cornwall.gov.uk or call 01872 323800.