Working for LFRS

Our workforce is made up of a range of people, from wholetime and retained firefighters to control staff and community fire safety teams. Below is a brief guide to the different roles within Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service:

Wholetime Firefighter
The role of a firefighter is not just about putting out fires. Firefighters attend a wide range of incidents, but part of the role also involves visiting homes and community groups to advise and educate people about minimising the risks of fire.

With such a varied job, firefighters need a combination of physical strength and stamina, intelligence, bravery, strength of character and compassion.

The training is intense and thorough and includes theoretical lectures as well as plenty of practical exercises. There are many tests and challenges that must be passed on the way to becoming a firefighter.

Important Information about Wholetime Recruitment

On 31 July 2009, the Combined Fire Authority Planning Committee considered proposals for its future emergency response arrangements.   

The review of emergency cover is a strategic assessment we undertake every three years to make sure that our emergency response resources are in the right place, at the right level, in line with identified risk and activity levels. 

The 2009 Emergency Cover Review (ECR) proposals were agreed by the Fire Authority in December 2009.  This will result in a reduction in the number of firefighters required in Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service.   This reduction in numbers will be achieved naturally over time.  Unfortunately, this means that Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service have no plans to commence recruitment of wholetime firefighters in the foreseeable future.  As soon as the situation changes, we will update this page.

However, if you are interested in becoming a firefighter, please do keep checking this website.  The situation in relation to Retained Duty System (RDS) firefighters is different and the ECR proposals do not include any proposed changes to RDS units and stations.  Consequently, vacancies and the opportunity to recruit RDS firefighters will still arise.   You may also wish to try other Fire and Rescue Services within the region for details of wholetime firefighter recruitment.  For any further information about the national recruitment process, please check out the Fire Gateway website. 

Unfortunately, due to the high numbers of enquiries we receive, we are unable to respond to individual emails or phone calls at this time.  Please note that we do not hold a waiting list of interested parties, nor are we generally able to inform people individually of Open Day dates or times.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service operates an Equal Opportunities policy and welcomes applications from everyone, regardless of race, age, disability, religion, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Retained Duty System Firefighters

We will shortly be recruiting for Retained Duty System Firefighters. Further information will be posted soon on the jobs @ lfrs webpage.  Please click here for an application form.

Control Staff
The Control Room is the centre of the operations within the Service, its purpose, and that of its staff, is to mobilise and co-ordinate the Service’s resources. Control staff are a primary point of contact for members of the public when they telephone us in an emergency situation.

Community Fire Safety
The Community Fire Safety Team provides support and training in all issues associated with community safety, including partnership working, funding opportunities, national and local campaigns and the development and review of community safety policy and procedures, information and education.

Technical Fire Safety
The Technical Fire SafeTeam provides support and training in all issues regarding technical (legislative) fire safety, including fire safety enforcement. It also provides support for all matters relating to policy, procedures and technique in the investigation of fires.

Support Departments
LFRS have a wide range of support Departments such as Human Resources, Property, Finance, and Occupational Health. This means that a wide variety of occupations and specialist qualifications can be offered such as Solicitor, Accountant, Property Manager and Nurse and Physiotherapy staff.

To see our current vacancies simply click here.