Firefighters will be called upon to tackle various emergency situations where problem solving skills and initiative will be vital to resolve issues quickly and calmly. There are certain personal attributes required and these include confidence, resilience, an ability to communicate effectively and a commitment to equality and diversity. As a firefighter you will be expected to undertake a continuous programme of training and take responsibility for developing your own skills and ensuring that your fitness levels are maintained, as the work can be both physically and mentally demanding.
Pay: you will receive a starting annual salary of £30,384 while completing your development. Once you are fully competent in role, this will rise to £38,881.
Paid holiday: all Firefighters receive 23 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays. This increases by 3 days after 5 years' service.
Pension: membership of the Firefighter Pension Scheme is available.
Training: all training, kit, and equipment are fully funded. You will develop skills in areas such as first aid, leadership, and emergency response, with ongoing learning opportunities throughout your career.
Benefits: access to a range of health and wellbeing initiatives, including an Employee Assistance Programme, mindfulness and resilience training, and the Blue Light Card national discount scheme.
Progression: opportunities to progress into leadership or specialist roles as your career develops.
The application form provides the Fire and Rescue Service with your personal details such as work history or qualifications and gives you an opportunity to demonstrate any evidence that you have in meeting the employee specification. If an area is essential you cannot be considered for the role of Fire fighter unless you possess that element of the criteria.
This stage consists of an online test which assesses an applicant's ability to assess a situation and decide upon the best course of action to take. You will be given a number of scenarios (in writing on screen) and asked to decide upon the most desirable response to that scenario from four options.
You will need to be physically fit and maintain your levels of fitness throughout a career as a firefighter. As part of the selection process, you will be required to undertake a fitness test. You will be able to choose whether you undertake the Bleep Test (also known as the Multi Stage Shuttle Run) or the Chester Treadmill Test.
The Bleep Test (or Multi Stage Shuttle Run) is a fitness test to determine your aerobic capacity which needs to be 42.3 VO2 max. this can be predicted during the Bleep Test with the target of 42.3 VO2 max being achievable upon completion of level 8.8. Candidates must move between two given points in time to a 'bleep' sound; the pace is increased incrementally.
Alternatively, candidates can elect to undertake the Chester Treadmill Test. This test is an incremental test incorporating seven levels where the gradient increases 3% every two minutes whilst the speed is set at 3.9mph (6.2km/hr). To be successful the two minute warm up and full twelve minute test has to be achieved.
You will be required to undertake physical tests which aim to assess your level of fitness, strength, and manual dexterity as well as your level of confidence in simulated exercises.
The following tests are designed to reflect operational practice and may change from time to time:
Ladder Lift
Casualty Evacuation
Ladder Extension
Hose Skills
Equipment Carry
Ladder Climb
Enclosed Space
As well as undertaking the above exercises, at your practical assessment day you will also be required to undertake written verbal and numerical ability tests. These will be taken using paper and pencil and will be timed. Below you will find some websites where you can find practice tests. Although these tests won't be the same as the ones you will undertake as part of our process, they will enable you to get used to doing timed tests and working through the questions as quickly and as accurately as you can.
The interview consists of a face to face discussion. The format will be a series of questions which will assess your experience, knowledge, skills and abilities against the employee specification which can be found in the Wholetime Firefighter Job Description.
All candidates will receive the interview questions 10 minutes prior to their interview so they can gather their thoughts and can be considering which examples would be best to tell the panel about.
The STAR method is a useful way to structure the answers you give to the interview questions (and questions on the application form). Please click here for further information on the STAR method.
Once you have successfully passed all the above stages, you will be invited to attend a medical assessment, where you will be examined by the Fire and Rescue Service Doctor and your medical records obtained from your GP if applicable. You will also be asked to complete a questionnaire covering your medical history and will then be subject to a series of tests including:
Hearing Test
Step Test
Lung Function
Physical Stamina
General Tests
As part of the selection process, candidates will be required to complete an Ophthalmological Assessment Form. This form should be completed by an optician, which means you will have to arrange and pay for an eye sight test as part of the Firefighter selection process. Our Occupational Health Physician will determine whether your vision meets the standards to become a Firefighter. Please click here for further information on Firefighter eyesight requirements.
Additional pre-employment checks including requesting references and completing a Standard DBS Check will also take place at this stage as well as attending our Stores department at our Service Headquarters to have a uniform fitting.
Firefighter recruitment is always a competitive process, with an extremely high number of applicants therefore we can take only the highest performing individuals at each stage of the selection process to progress to the next level.
We are an equal opportunities and disability confident employer, so we encourage individuals to be open and honest with us about a disability or neurodiversity they may have. We can then look at any reasonable adjustments that can be put in place to enable you to participate in each stage of the recruitment process to the best of your ability. We are constantly reviewing our policies, procedures and practices to look at ways we can improve our organisation to be as accessible as possible.
You must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the training course. There is no maximum age.
You can be of any nationality to apply, provided that you have the permanent right to remain and work without restriction in the UK. You will be required to supply evidence of your right to work in the UK during the recruitment process.
None, however your skills in relation to numeracy and literacy will be assessed as part of the recruitment process.
No. Candidates will be expected to pass strength and fitness tests as part of the recruitment process, and these are at a level achievable for both men and women of all different sizes and builds.
Yes, the Service requires Wholetime Firefighters to provide cover anywhere in the county at short notice, therefore we ask for a driving licence as part of the essential criteria.
Candidates will be placed at stations where there are vacancies. A range of factors are taken into account when allocating stations including home locations. Firefighters can apply to transfer to an alternative station on completion of their development (usually 2 years).
A range of shift patterns exist within the Service which have regard to the special circumstances of individual staff and aim to provide family friendly options. Different stations have different shift patterns and candidates will be placed at stations where there are vacancies. Firefighters can apply to transfer to an alternative station on completion of their development (usually 2 years).
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