Recruitment

Emergency services are at the heart of incidents that are often life changing. As a firefighter, you will be at the centre of operations working to help those in need, often in extraordinary situations. Trained to find solutions, often in challenging scenarios, this is a job that provides great satisfaction.

Working for the Fire and Rescue Service is an exciting, challenging role where no two days are the same. To function effectively in emergencies, firefighters must apply courage, strength and at times have the capacity for rapid, intense and sustained effort. Our firefighters enjoy their sense of purpose and ability to keep Islanders safe, making an impact on our community. 

You will need to deal calmly and professionally with emergencies like fires, road traffic collisions, chemical spills and floods, working alongside other emergency services and your colleagues to help people who are in distress. 

An increasing part of the firefighter’s role is to encourage a safer community by preventing fires and other emergencies before they happen and to make sure people understand the risks of fire and what they can do to protect themselves.

You will spend anything between 18 and 24 months undertaking foundation training – including up to 18 weeks at a UK Training School – gaining a wide range of operational skills. Then you’ll spend the next two years developing your skills in core, technical and service support subjects to become a qualified firefighter, excelling in rope, inshore and specialist rescue. 

Potential leaders will have the opportunity to gain leadership and managerial qualifications to reach middle and senior positions.

Our on-call firefighters are often permanently employed by other organisations but provide an on-call service to the fire service when their pager alerts them. Just like full-time firefighters, our on-call firefighters are trained to deal with a wide range of situations and incidents.

Our on-call firefighters are required to respond to emergencies every four days if working from St Helier, or alternate evenings if working from St Brelade. There are also other options to top up your salary if you wish to take on more shifts.  

Our on-call firefighters are part of a close-knit team and benefit from gaining a range of new skills and the ability to earn an additional salary, which fits around existing jobs and commitments, whilst making an impact on the local community.  

You do not need previous experience as we provide a comprehensive training programme. What is important is that you are enthusiastic and have a range of personal skills such as understanding, reliability, flexibility, and the ability to work within a team.

Crucially, you must be able to reach the fire station quickly and safely after being alerted to an incident. You could be called out two or three times a week, for a few hours at a time. 

Before you can apply to be a firefighter, you need to meet certain entry requirements. 

You must: 

• be at least 18 on your first day of service
• hold 'Entitled to Work' status
• hold a full, clean driving licence
• be healthy and fit
• be able to swim 50 metres
• have good sight (aided or unaided) and colour perception in both eyes
• be confident working at height and in enclosed spaces
• be happy to work a shift system and at weekends
• have the ability to deal with people in difficult and emotional situations 

In addition, to be an on-call firefighter you must: 

• have permission from your employer if you’ll be responding from work
• be able to respond from work or home to your assigned fire station within 15 minutes (or within 10 minutes if you live by the Western Fire Station)
• be available to train on a Monday or Tuesday evening (for Town on-call) or Wednesday evening (for Western on-call)

Enabling your employees to become on-call firefighters can improve the reputation of your business and sets you apart from your competitors. It can also increase the productivity of your employees and even save you money.  

Firefighter Employer's Brochure.pdf