NORTH Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is offering jobs to new recruits but say they need to do more than fight fires and cut up cars and they want people who are caring, compassionate and inventive.

From June 8 they will be recruiting wholetime firefighters to stations across the county including Richmond, Northallerton, Whitby, Scarborough and Harrogate.

Chief Fire Officer Andrew Brodie said they want applications from all parts of the community and they're keen to improve diversity within the service.

Last year over 1,500 people applied for 25 jobs, the service have not revealed how many jobs are on offer this year.

Mr Brodie said: "The role of a modern-day firefighter is varied. It’s much more than just attending emergency incidents, so ignore any thoughts of simply having to fight fires and cut up cars. It’s more about educating communities, engaging with people, delivering activities and events, planning and forming partnerships, and being creative, prevent, protect and creating community resilience.

"Response is a last resort. We need people who are caring, compassionate and inventive, who enjoy working as part of a team and who want to make a truly positive difference to people. Being a good firefighter isn’t about being good at fighting fires, that’s only part of it. Being a good firefighter is about being good at everything the role involves.

"Such a varied role needs a varied workforce. We welcome applications from all parts of our communities. We need to improve our diversity to reflect our diverse communities, so we are particularly interested in people from groups that are currently under-represented in our Service.

"But this isn’t about varying standards of entry. Everyone goes through the same process and achieves the same minimum standards.

"Our message is simple; this is a great opportunity to join a progressive and essential organisation. So, if you’ve always dreamt of becoming a firefighter or you’ve never considered it before but think it could be the job for you, we’d love to hear from you."

Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, said: "Firefighters across North Yorkshire play a crucial role in keeping us safe and feeling safe and I’m pleased we are able to add to our wholetime team. I would encourage anyone interested in joining our brilliant team of men and women to consider applying for these important roles."

Jobs on offer include at day crewed fire stations at Ripon, Malton, Tadcaster, Selby and Whitby; Self Roster fire stations at Northallerton and Richmond and Shift fire stations at Acomb, Huntington, York, Scarborough and Harrogate. Anyone aged 18 or over can apply when the application window opens on the 8th June, and there are several stages of the recruitment process. For information go to the Working For Us section of the fire service website at www.northyorksfire.gov.uk