Rural areas of Cambridgeshire will be covered by two extra fire engines to cut the time it takes for a crew to reach emergencies during the day.
The move has been made amid a growing problem of recruiting on-call fire fighters who live and work locally.
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service says it has 'reallocated resources' to provide the extra cover.
Chris Strickland, chief fire officer, said: '?We have a greater demand on our services in daytime hours when we have the least fire engines available.
'We are a largely rural county and therefore only seven of our 27 operational fire stations have a full time crew in the day.'
Mr Strickland added the availability of fire engines at on-call stations had decreased over the last five years, despite recruitment drives.
The two new appliances will not work out of a fixed fire station, but instead be sent to different areas? depending on need.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here