On-call teams across Hampshire and Isle of Wight are being boosted by the arrival of 11 brand-new firefighting heroes.
Living and working within their local communities, the latest group of on-call firefighters, having completed their training at Waterlooville Fire Station, graduated from the HIWFRS Learning and Development programme on Wednesday afternoon.
Their initial ‘Mod A’ training sees them skilled in using pumps and ladders at incidents, with further sessions scheduled to continue their development.
Returning to their local stations, the graduates will join their new crew members on drill nights, and switch on their pagers for the first time, responding to the fire station when alerted.
18-year-old hardware store employee Tom Nobrega will now be responding to call-outs as an on-call firefighter at Odiham.
He said:
“Becoming an on-call firefighter is something I gave a lot of consideration to as it involves balancing both work and personal commitments around your firefighting role.
“Ultimately I knew I had to do it as I want to do my bit making life safer in my community.
“I’ve really enjoyed my training and the support from not just my family and colleagues, but also the crew back at station, has been amazing.
“If you’re considering becoming an on-call firefighter, don’t be afraid to reach out and find out more, do it.”
In 2025 we have welcomed more than 40 brand-new on-call firefighters who are now working to make life safer across our communities.
On-call firefighters live and work within their local community near to the fire station.
They take part in a training night once a week, ensure they’re available for call-outs for a number of hours, and respond to incidents once alerted.
Do you think you have what it takes to become an on-call firefighter like Tom? Join the team today!
Learning and Development Station Manager Lee Wood said:
“On-call firefighters play an important and valued role within our communities, so it is great to see another group complete their initial training before they return to station and do their bit to make life safer.
“Our Learning and Development trainers do a brilliant job in delivering this fantastic programme which sets the graduates up for life as an on-call firefighter, ready to work with their new crews at incidents.”
Joining the on-call crew at Rushmoor will be Grant Mutlow.
Colby Meredith will be responding to incidents on the Isle of Wight, based at Freshwater Fire Station.
Switching on their pagers for the first time in Alton is Fiona Sutherland and Jason Duddy.
Chloe Gough and Brandon Owen are Havant’s newest on-call recruits.
Fighting fires and dealing with road traffic incidents are just some of the callout types Tom Nobrega and Fanette Guy-De Brauwer will be faced with, when they join up with their new crews at Odiham and Hayling Island respectively.
Joining the New Forest on-call team, Josh Bland is linking up with Brockenhurst.
Around fire-calls, Romsey’s Aidan Cooper and Wickham’s Jay Wilson will visit their new station once a week for a regular training night.
