VOLUNTEER part-time firefighters are needed for Slaithwaite fire station.

Fire chiefs took the controversial decision that the village's station does not have enough call-outs each year to warrant being staffed by full-time firefighters.

At the end of October they decided to make it a retained station.

This means the crew will be people who live or work nearby and can rush to the station, get changed, be on the fire engine and out on a 999 call within five minutes.

West Yorkshire Fire And Rescue Service needs 15 volunteers to make sure the engine can be used 24 hours a day.

In 2003, Slaithwaite firefighters responded to 314 incidents in its own area.

And they are regularly called on to back up Huddersfield firefighters and retained crews in Marsden and Meltham.

But fire chiefs said the station was probably the quietest fully-manned station in West Yorkshire and no longer justified having firefighters there 24 hours a day all year.

Full-time Slaithwaite firefighters will eventually be moved to busier stations or into fire safety work.

Colne Valley MP Kali Mountford was unhappy at the move. She said at the time: "This decision will leave my constituency without a full-time fire station.

"Several large factories, plus other high-risk buildings, will no longer have local cover from full-time firefighters."

West Yorkshire Fire Brigades' Union spokesman Sean Cahill said the Slaithwaite fire engine was called out far more times than showed in the figures.

He added: "Slaithwaite firefighters back Huddersfield crews up all the time, but it does not show in figures."

In 2003, retained firefighters were called to over 5,000 incidents in West Yorkshire.

The county has about 180 retained firefighters, including 32 women.

They have to attend a three- hour training session once a week. They are paid for being on-call, for their training and when they go out.

For details, phone 01274 655809 or visit www.west yorksfire.gov.uk