The Fundamental 1 training course was conducted at Winchester Fire Station and concluded on Friday afternoon when the newly qualified firefighters were presented with their certificates by Assistant Chief Fire Officer Ben Allen.
This type of course was introduced earlier this year and sees our Learning and Development team deliver a programme which ensures on-call firefighters arrive on station with additional medical and RTC skills, which previously would not have been taught on the initial course.
The ten will return for further training and assessments, but with their initial course complete, they are able to join their local crews in responding to emergencies in the community.
Grayshott’s newest firefighter is David Zack. He said:
“I retired in 2023, but I wasn’t quite finished with new challenges.
“In 2025, I applied to join the fire service, and after receiving a conditional offer later that year, I joined in 2026 at the age of 62.
“The course was an incredible experience. A huge thank you to the instructors and to my classmates – a great group of people who I look forward to serving alongside.
“A special thank you to everyone at Grayshott Fire Station for your patience, encouragement, and willingness to share your knowledge and experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better crew.”
Station Manager Lee Wood said:
“Delivering this programme allows us to equip our new on-call recruits with more skills following their initial training period, meaning they return to their local stations better prepared.
“It also allows us to map out a schedule for their future learning, supporting them to balance their fire service commitments around their home and work lives.
“We are delighted to welcome another twelve fantastic recruits to our team, having completed their initial training with us and now ready to return home and make life safer for their communities.
“It takes a lot of determination and dedication to reach this point and make it as a firefighter, and they should be very proud of what they have achieved.”
Across the New Forest, fire stations in New Milton, Lymington and Ringwood will be boosted by the arrivals of Simon James, William Lang and Barnaby Shaw respectively.
The East Cowes crew on the Isle of Wight will be welcoming Darren Francis.
Winchester’s Connor Harmer will soon be switching on his pager for the first time.
Nicola King is joining the on-call unit at Basingstoke.
Andrew Bassett, Droxford, and David Zack, Grayshott, are now on-the-run responding to call-outs and keeping their local community safe.
Russell Shipton and James Newberry are balancing their home and work lives around their on-call commitments at Bordon and Stockbridge.
On-call firefighters play an important role in the safety of their local communities.
Working or living nearby their fire station, they respond when alerted through a pager, before crewing the fire engine to attend a wide range of different callouts.
With a dedicated training night each week, our on-call teams also get involved in important prevention activities, as well as community engagement work.
