North Yorkshire mums are being targeted by fire chiefs - as perfect candidates for becoming firefighters.

Bosses at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are hoping to convince mums and others without day jobs to put aside the housework and pick up a fire hose and ladder.

The service is short of 13 part-time firefighters who can help tackle blazes during the daytime, when most people are at work, and wants to recruit from towns along the A19 corridor.

Spokesman Terry Glover said: "Mums would make perfect part-time firefighters because they drop the kids off at school in the morning and have all day before picking them up again. I'm not suggesting they've got nothing else to do during the rest of the day, but maybe they have not got the commitments that others have, so could be called out in an emergency to fight a fire."

He said: "Our greatest difficulty is ensuring cover during working hours, when there is a greater risk of fires in industrial places.

"We have a real gap along the A19 corridor. During the day, towns are emptier than they used to be because more people are commuting to places like York, Leeds and Teesside.

"That leaves fewer people who are willing and able to offer their services as part-time firefighters."

He said mums, dads, shift workers and anyone who could guarantee they could get to a fire station within four minutes of an emergency call-out would be ideal.

Candidates have to be at least 18 years old and reasonably physically fit.

And tackling fires need not get in the way of parenthood. Mr Glover said: "We do everything possible to accommodate family or other commitments they may have. If someone has to leave a fire to start a shift or pick up the kids from school, they let it be known and we will try to relieve them by calling in another part-timer to take their place fighting the fire."

Mother-of-two Sharron Lumb, 27, who recently became Tadcaster's first female part-time firefighter, today gave her backing to the campaign. Sharron, whose husband Ted is a leading firefighter at the same station, said: "It's the job to be in, great fun and very exciting. It's doesn't get in the way of ordinary life. The fire service are very flexible and accommodating. The lads at the station are brilliant. I can recommend this to any mum."

Retained firefighters are paid between £1,224 and £1,632 a year just for making themselves available. There are further payments for the two-hour weekly training nights and call-outs, which can average £3,500 a year.

They each carry a pager which is activated by fire service control in an emergency.

The areas most in need of new recruits are Easingwold, Thirsk, Acomb and Boroughbridge.

In the Selby area, a recent recruitment drive has more or less brought the service up to strength. Assistant Divisional Officer Phil Wade said: "It is has been difficult and other areas still need help. Part of the problem is that businesses are more competitive than they use to be. We used to have three people at Selby shipyard as retained firefighters, but these days firms no longer have the ability to let people go at the drop of a hat."

He said employers benefited from having staff who were trained on what to do in the event of a fire.

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