Retained firefighters are based near a fire station and respond to emergencies in the same way as whole time firefighters.

Davinder Johal, senior human resources adviser for the service, said: "We are looking for people who are calm in a crisis, want to help the community and have spare time to give.

"Being a firefighter is not just about responding to fires and other emergencies, it is so much more.

"For instance an essential part of the role is communicating safety messages."

Proud

Full training is given and a retained fee paid as well as further payments for every incident or training session attended.

Cllr Paul Smith, chairman of Derbyshire Fire Authority, said: "We are very proud of our retained firefighters.

"Their's is a vital role in keeping the people of Derby and Derbyshire safe and helping Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service achieve excellence."

Due to the nature of the job retained firefighters must be able to reach the fire station within five minutes of receiving a pager message and be available to attend call outs from home or work, particularly between 6am and 6pm.

* For an application pack, please telephone the Human Resources Administration Section on 01332 777018.

The closing date for completed applications is 4pm on Friday October 9.