Ever wondered what it’s like to be an on-call firefighter protecting Wales’ largest national park?

Tywyn Station Support Officer Phil Owen says its the “best job in the world”.

Starting as an on-call firefighter made him “desperate” to become full-time and he now supports on-call fire stations throughout north Wales.

On-call firefighters checking the breathing apparatus on a drill night at Tywyn Fire Station
On-call firefighters checking the breathing apparatus on a drill night at Tywyn Fire Station (Cambrian News)

The Tywyn and Aberdyfi Fire Stations are crewed by on-call teams ready to drop what they’re doing at a moment's notice to help their communities.

Kept on retainer, they keep fit to pass their fitness checks every six months and attend weekly drill nights.

The teams are made up of community members who live within five minutes of their stations and work day jobs including plumbers, farmers, carpenters and those running cleaning businesses.

They are called out not just for mountain fires but road incidents and property fires.

Tackling the fires on high ground in windy conditions is treacherous, especially without easy access to a helicopter to transport water to higher grounds.

Mountain fires started from disposable barbecues have become “one of their biggest problems”.

On-call firefighters checking equipment on the appliance (fire engine) during a drill night at Tywyn Fire Station
On-call firefighters checking equipment on the appliance (fire engine) during a drill night at Tywyn Fire Station (Cambrian News)

For some instances, crews are posted overnight to ensure the fire doesn’t start up again in windy conditions.

Despite the name, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service don’t just fight fires - during December’s storm Darragh they responded to 180 flooding incidents including six by the Aberdyfi/Tywyn team.

The Tywyn and Aberdyfi on-call teams are called a “success story” now but they got off to a rocky start with only two on-call staff.

Eilian Roberts, Service Delivery Manager for the west area said the biggest barrier to recruiting on-call staff is availability: “There has to be a commitment and passion to do it.

“It’s a huge commitment, working unsociable hours over Christmas - fires don’t take holidays.

“Everyone here loves their job.”

Louis Hiatt, Watch Manager for Tywyn and Aberdyfi Fire Stations, with the Tywyn appliance during a drill night at the station
Louis Hiatt, Watch Manager for Tywyn and Aberdyfi Fire Stations, with the Tywyn appliance during a drill night at the station (Cambrian News)

Phil added that you need the whole family on board: “It’s a big family effort to make it work, with childcare being an issue.

“You’ve got to want it and your family has to be behind you.”

Thanks to the tireless work of Louis Hiatt, Watch Manager for Tywyn and Aberdyfi Fire Stations, they are now up to 14 on-call staff and are about to be joined by six new recruits.

Phil said the rewards are worth it: “The station becomes an extension of people's families especially for on-call stations where they live so closely.”

Tywyn Station shares facilities with the police station - the building is small but during drill nights it fills quickly with the bleeps of equipment being tested and boots on the ground.

Louis said: “We try really hard so that people enjoy coming in, you can feel the camaraderie.”

Tywyn Fire Station is one of 44 across North Wales Fire and Rescue Service - with seven being full-time stations
Tywyn Fire Station is one of 44 across North Wales Fire and Rescue Service - with seven being full-time stations (Cambrian News)

The fast-growing team are changing things too - with two women on the team and young faces as well as those with grey hairs, they aim to “represent the communities” they serve - across the whole region, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service are 21 per cent female compared to 10 per cent just a few years ago.

Find out more about becoming a north Wales on-call firefighter here.