A TEEN will be joining the ranks of firefighters protecting Essex – at the age of 18.

New recruit Harry Clack is almost ready to start attending incidents with Maldon Fire Station as one of Essex Fire and Rescue's youngest on-call firefighters.

Harry only has one week left before taking his final assessment.

Harry is an apprentice in a support role at the service's headquarters in Kelvedon and decided to take up the intense training to get to know the firefighting role better.

Harry said: “I’m also a passionate young motorcyclist, so part of a group that forms one of the main risk groups on Essex roads, so I wanted to be on call not only to give something back to a public service but be ready to help someone like me.

"I visited Maldon Fire station when I was seven years old for a birthday party.

"I didn’t even know what an on-call firefighter was back then - I just assumed people were in the station all the time."

To be accepted, Harry went through a fitness test followed two full weeks training at ECFRS's training centres and another ten weeks of evening sessions.

Harry added: “I’m naturally fit anyway so I didn't find it that hard.

“The ladder part; where we had to wear the safe working at height kit and climb the ladder, was the strangest as it’s something different to your standard fitness routine and everyday life, but I also found it quite exciting.

"The training covers everything from ladders and hoses to road traffic collisions, everyone on your squad is new like you and the instructors are brilliant throughout.

"I'm quite new compared to others at my station and because things change over time, we’re expected to bring our latest training back to the station, like a relay system.

“It means we're all constantly learning from each other as a team.”

Once he passes, he can start to attend 999 calls and begin his next step in becoming a fully competent firefighter which can take up to two years to earn.

Harry said: “Knowing what on-call is and the fact people do it alongside their primary employment makes you value them even more - you think, actually they have a normal life and they don’t have to do it but they choose to.

"It’s a really great feeling to know I’ll be supporting the local community that I grew up in and helping to make Essex a safe place to live, work and travel."

To learn more about on-call firefighters, visit join.essex-fire.gov.uk.