Meet James McCall: Firefighter, technical rescue specialist and amazing alumni of Warrington & Vale Royal College.
Since leaving the college with a triple distinction in Level 3 Sport, Performance & Excellence, James has achieved a BSc (Hons) in Sport Science from John Moores University, become a successful personal trainer, and even opened his own gym.
However, a few years ago, James realised that with his qualifications and experience, his long-time dream of being a firefighter was within reach. Inspired by his grandad who was a firefighter and the original Welephant Fire Safety mascot, James decided to pursue this rewarding career path with Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service and worked hard to reach the standards required to enter this competitive field.
As many firefighters will confirm, securing a role in the fire service can be difficult, with only limited recruitment opportunities for a small number of roles. James confirmed this, saying: “I knew that it would not be an easy journey to reach my career goal, but becoming a firefighter was all I wanted, so I got my head down and persisted! For anyone thinking about the fire service as a career, it can be tough to get there, but it is worth it in the end.”
Reflecting on the experiences leading up to achieving his dream job role, James values the skills he developed during his time at college as being essential to his success. He said: “Doing a technical qualification was so much better for me and set me up for my career perfectly. Now, I work in a practical environment every day! Focusing on sport, I learned the importance of staying physically fit, but also how to work well in a team and how to communicate effectively. As you can imagine, these are essential qualities for any firefighter."
