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Peterborough mechanic spends his spare time answering calls as a volunteer firefighter

Twenty-year-old Tyrell Cambridge works as a vehicle technician by day and volunteers with one of the UK’s few operational volunteer fire brigades in his spare time.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

Tyrell Cambridge, a mechanic and volunteer firefighter from Peterborough Image: Sycamore Peterborough / BBCOriginal source

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Twenty-year-old mechanic Tyrell Cambridge can finish a shift fixing cars and then, with very little warning, find himself heading out on a fire engine.

The Peterborough workshop technician volunteers with Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, one of only a small number of operational volunteer brigades in the UK.

joined more than a year ago after looking for something meaningful to do outside work and has since helped at incidents including the major Holme Fen wildfire in August.

The brigade operates two fire engines crewed by volunteers who give their time without pay. It means members can be called from dinner, sleep or an evening at home and suddenly be on their way to support an emergency response.

For Tyrell, the attraction is partly the adrenaline, but also the sense of giving something back to the place where he lives. His employer has supported that commitment by allowing him the flexibility needed to respond when the call comes.