Firefighter recruitment website is live

Packed with real-life stories from on-call firefighters, it gives an insight into what the role entails, what recruits can expect and lets people directly contact their local fire and rescue service to express an interest in available roles.

The on-call firefighter recruitment campaign is a joint project between the National Fire Chiefs Council and the home office.

An on-call firefighter is someone who responds to a range of fire and rescue service jobs, these range from emergency calls, working at open days, carrying out work with their local communities and acting as an ambassador for the fire service. When they get the call, they become professional firefighters. Full training is provided on an ongoing basis, therefore previous experience is not required.

An on-call firefighter could be called out two or three times a week, for a few hours at a time. The on-call hours are based around people’s availability and other commitments.

One minute you could be sitting at home and the next minute you can be sitting on a fire engine.

Being an on-call firefighter means people become part of a close-knit team, gain a range of new skills, earn additional  money which fits around existing jobs and commitments, while making a difference within the local community.

One of the case studies on the website is father of  four Shahbaz, 47, who says his understanding of Asian culture and languages has proved invaluable when working in the community. He enjoys the sharing and learning of new skills and the sense of friendship and belonging that’s hard to find in other jobs.

While 23-year-old Shannon, who also works as a care assistant, says she loves the excitement and adrenaline the job brings and the family feel of fire service life. One minute Shannon can be out working in the community, and the next on a fire engine on her way to an incident.

The new website also gives advice to employers and how having on-call firefighters within their business can bring advantages. These include health and safety and medical response training, as well as developing situational awareness, leadership skills and the ability to work under pressure.