Avon RDS Success

[CitricBean]

First of all, congratulations to everyone else who are getting in! It's tough but we'll worth the effort. Finally got in to AFRS as retained myself. Already finished the core skills training, have to go back for the BA and RTC now.

[Luminoki]

Congrats mate, what station? When the alerter goes off for the first time remember not to rush, even though your heart rate will be soaring

[HoldFast]

Well done mate! You have a great journey ahead of you. And listen to @Luminoki‘s advice. However hard it may be when your alerter is sounding repeatedly on your way to station, avoid overtaking people... as it might just be a station manager in their own vehicle. Not that I’m talking from experience or anything ?

[Luminoki]

And if possible always avoid wearing jeans, although it will never go off at a convinient time

[CitricBean]

Hahaha cheers for the advice guys. Sound advice there! 

4 hours ago, Luminoki said:

Congrats mate, what station? When the alerter goes off for the first time remember not to rush, even though your heart rate will be soaring

Cheers mate, I'm at 03 Yate ?

[OscarTango]

Welcome to the fold mate and well done. Enjoy adding "alerter" to the keys, wallet, phone pat-down macarena ritual everytime you leave the house!

[CitricBean]

Haha thanks mate 

[TandA]

Congratulations.  I have been tied to my alerter for 19 years!  My advice - treat every day as a learning day.  There is always something to learn or improve upon in this job.

[Carefree]

Well done mate.  Remember, although the same job being retained is a very different discipline to wholetime.  

In some ways wholetime is easier, you turn up for your shift and you are at the station with your watch until the shift ends, if the bells go down you are there and ready.

With RDS it’s very different, you could be in Tesco’s with the missus, playing with your kids or fast asleep in bed when that pager goes off, and then you have to sort yourself out and get to the station as quickly and as safely as possible.  You are also ‘tied’ to within 5 minutes of your station so it can impact on your personal life.  

This isn’t meant to come across as negative at all, but if you haven’t already worked it out yourself the commitment is huge.  

Best of luck.

[Luminoki]

I’ll second what Carefree has said, you’ll never know the commitment until youre actually doing it, although im guessing you’ll be the 6th bod which is a good way of easing into retained life, once youve got your BA ticket it really starts to change ( i had one of my lads text me the morning of my final BA exam saying “if you pass, could you book on for me tomorrow night” )

[Noddy]

Well done mate