SOMEONE with a head for heights is being offered a unique job – but the catch is you have to work for free.
An unusual advert was placed in yesterday's Post for a private balloon pilot to take on Avon Fire & Rescue Service's large red hot air balloon.
The fire authority has been criticised in the past for spending £11,000 in one year operating it, but now it is looking for a pilot to take on the role for free.
As well as flying the balloon at "key events" such as the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, the pilot will also be responsible for insurance, maintenance and risk assessment.
While the canopy is included, the basket is not, and the pilot would also have to pay for gas to inflate and fly it.
The fire service spent £13,000 on the canopy – made by Bedminster-based Cameron Balloons – in 2007, and is still the only fire authority in the country to use a balloon. The balloon carries the fire service's logo in red, and a white stripe below features changeable messages that reflect trends in fires the brigade attends.
In 2009 the balloon cost £1,000 a day to fly, which paid for a pilot, basket and gas to inflate and fly it, but an Avon Fire & Rescue Service spokeswoman said she did not know if this figure was still accurate.
Funding for the balloon for the last four years has come from the brigade's own community safety budget, but the authority's recent contract with Sky Power has now come to an end.
When the balloon was first launched in 2007, deputy chief fire officer Jerry O'Brien said to buy the balloon and then fly it would cost less than attending four car fires – which the brigade often does in a day.
But former Bristol city councillor and member of the Avon Fire Authority, Spud Murphy, complained that the balloon was a waste of money.
At the time, he said: "It's a waste of rate payers' money when you see that the fire service precept on the council tax has gone up four per cent.
"They didn't need to buy the balloon. It's just something they can use to take people up for a rides in – no other fire service has a balloon."
But now the fire authority believes the balloon would be an "asset" to a pilot, especially someone newly-qualified who could not afford their own balloon.
A spokeswoman for Avon Fire & Rescue Service said: "The successful applicant will be able to take the balloon away free of charge.
"The contract would involve attending key community events including the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
"Which events were attended would probably be negotiated with the pilot.
"Hopefully it would be a mutually beneficial arrangement as the pilot would be given a balloon to fly and our safety messages would be promoted.
She added: "We are currently looking at all opportunities to save money, especially in the present financial climate. We are just trying to use one of our own assets in a cost neutral way."
Anyone interested in the contract should contact David Stone on 07584218556 or on david.stone@avonfire.gov.uk.
The closing date is May 8.
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