Countywide on-call firefighter recruitment campaign launched

Firefighters across Wiltshire are appealing for members of the public to join them with the launch of their on-call recruitment campaign on Monday, 23rd September.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service needs new on-call recruits to provide fire cover at locations across Wiltshire. Contracted hours can vary, but on-call personnel usually make themselves available for between 40 and 120 hours per week. Between them, each fire station team will provide cover for weekdays, evenings, nights and weekends.

Area manager for Wiltshire, Ian Jeary said “This is an experience that money cannot buy, doing the extraordinary every day to help keep your community safe and well. The best way to see if being an on-call firefighter is for you is to pop along to your local station and have a chat with the crew to find out what it is really like. However, during the week we’ll be making it as easy as possible for people to find out more about becoming an on-call firefighter. As well as profiling members of our staff on our social media channels who help to keep their communities safe, we’ll also be running a Facebook Live event so the public can ask those who do the job what it entails, how to get involved and what they can expect. Keep a look out for our next Have a Go session dates too which give you the opportunity to come along to our stations and try out some of the activities firefighters get up to every day.

He added: “On-call firefighters receive the same training and development as wholetime colleagues, and they can be called to all manner of emergencies, including fires, road traffic collisions, animal rescues and flooding. The pay does vary, depending on how much cover you give, but it is fantastically rewarding to be a part of your community and to be in a position to help people.”

In order to become an on-call firefighter, you will need to live or work near your local fire station and be able to respond to that station once your pager goes off. Employers can benefit from a firefighter’s training – such as first aid, manual handling, a greater understanding of health & safety in the workplace, and enhanced team spirit. The service is committed to equality of opportunity and diversity in employment .