THE first fire station built in Herefordshire for more than 40 years goes live on the weekend.

A fledgling 15-strong fire crew for the Golden Valley will be ready and waiting to tackle its first incident solo out of the new £500,000 station in Peterchurch on Easter Sunday.

Sub Officer Denbygh Hill and leading firefighters Kevin Giles and Michaela Turner will lead the crew, which includes husband and wife Dilwyn and Debbie Davies, Mervyn Bufton, Paul Lane, Dean Evans, Kevin Smith, Claire Pritchard, Alan Layton, Frank Sentinella, Sean Davies, Andy Trim and Andy Williams.

They all live within five minutes of the station and have completed an intensive period of training since recruitment last year.

Intensive training

Fire fighting classes included tackling real blazes at the West Midlands Fire Service Centre at Oldbury, shadowing crews in the brigade area and attending Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade's Training and Development Centre at Droitwich.

The men and women stepped forward to form the crew following an appeal for volunteers last year and will now man two fire engines, including one off-road vehicle.

The need to improve fire cover in the Golden Valley was highlighted in 1995 when it was found the brigade was unable to meet the minimum prescribed Home Office attendance time.

The crew has already shown great commitment to making the community safer. They helped local brownies achieve their fire safety badge and are currently working with Kingstone High School pupils as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.