RESIDENTS from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are being invited to try their hand at fire-fighting.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service says it is 'taking positive action' to encourage people from BAME communities to come and try out a new career.

Two taster sessions will be held at Witham Fire Station for residents from those communities to find out about being a fire-fighter and try some physical tests.

A spokesman for the service said: "We want our workforce to be as diverse as the communities we serve and to do this we particularly need to recruit more people from BAME communities, who are not only under-represented but who may not consider firefighting as a career.

"This doesn’t mean we won’t be recruiting people from other backgrounds when applications for whole time firefighters open in spring this year, but right now we want to raise awareness among groups that are less likely to step forward and see what’s involved in becoming a fire professional."

The first session will be held on Thursday, March 7 from 6pm until 8pm and the second will be on Saturday, April 6 from 11am until 1pm.