abstract:A retained firefighter, also known as a Firefighter working the Retained Duty System (RDS), RDS Firefighter, part-time firefighter or on-call firefighter, in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a professional firefighter who may have full-time employment outside of the fire service but responds to emergency calls within their local area as and when required.Department for Communities and Local Government: Fire & Resilience - Retained Duty System (accessed 23 April 07)ODPM: The Fire and Rescue service Retained Duty System - A review of recruitment and retention challenges, pub TSO, Feb 2005 (see p28 Terminology)
At a meeting last night Charles Tew, a parish councillor for Brinklow and also a former retainedfirefighter, said having a crew in the area with local knowledge was invaluable.