Ask us a question?
Becoming a Firefighter
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What are the general requirements to be a firefighter?
The requirements for different FRS may vary so check the website of the one you would like to apply to. In general you need to be 18 years old with no unspent criminal convictions. You need to be physically fit (you will undergo a medical if your application is accepted) and be eligible to work in the UK. There are usually no specific qualification requirements. Your application to become a firefighter will be judged initially on how well you complete your application form. As most people fill this in to a similar standard, assuming this is good enough (it 99% of cases it isn’t!) you may wish to get some help to make sure yours stands out above the rest.
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Can you send me an application form?
No, we aren’t the Fire & rescue Service and we don’t recruit firefighters! We are a private organisation who helps people to become firefighters and supports those who are ready to progress their existing firefighter career. If you want an application form you need to find out which Fire Service is currently recruiting. You would usually do this by checking the relevant pages of their website every day (more than once if you want to be sure not to miss out). Alternatively, you may wish to signing up our text alert service where we will send you a text message within minutes of a Fire Service announcing they are recruiting.
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Will becoming a retained firefighter help me get a whole-time job?
This is a misconception; being retained does not usually give you any specific advantages. How well you do in the selection process depends on how well you write your application. You can be retained and still miss the point of the questions and not present your evidence correctly. To successfully apply you need to use all the evidence you have of meeting the Firefighter criteria. There can be valuable experience in being a retained firefighter and if you draw on this correctly it will help you provide strong answers. But don’t rely on the fact of being in the retained service alone to get you through.
If you’re not sure how to use your work experience to your best advantage you can use our application workbook to learn how, use our review service to get feedback on how likely your application is to pass or contact us with you more questions.
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Is it true most Firefighters have second jobs?
Operational Firefighters usually work for four shifts over two days and two nights, with roughly three days off betwen each rota. While this doesn’t typically allow for a second job in the traditional sense, this shift pattern could lend itself to other work such as self-employed roles like personal training, landscape gardening or plumbing.
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Do most people have to apply several times before they are accepted as a firefighter?
Many people do apply multiple times, but this is because they aren’t completing their application correctly. You can apply and get in first time if you use your experience correctly and do your homework on how to use the PQAs to write a really strong application.
Fire Service Promotion
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Why can’t I just get ADC help from my own Fire Service?
Most Fire Services just don’t have the time or money to spend on this kind of training. Training budgets are usually used up by core skills training. Management attitudes and approaches are left much more to the individual
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How do you know how to help me pass my ADC?
We have worked with Fire & Rescue Services for many years in recruitment, assessment and selection. We really know the processes and what being a great candidate looks like.
We were hearing time and time again about how hard it was to pass the ADC so we spent some time putting together resources, workbooks and practice papers to give people the help they really need to do their best.
We wanted to stop people feeling like they weren’t able to show what they could really do because they didn’t understand the exercises and didn’t know how to express themselves in the right way.
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How can I prepare for my ADC?
Make sure you know how to show your attitudes and behaviours in the right way.
Make sure you know what the assessment exercises involve and what the assessors are hoping to see.
This is where we can help. We can make sure you can show how good you are so you don’t leave your ADC feeling you could have done better.
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How can I improve my chances of passing my ADC?
The ADC doesn’t test your knowledge of facts and figures so there’s no point in revising. The ADC tests your personal qualities (your PQAs) by seeing how you deal with different situations.
Our Products
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Can I receive the Workbook in hard copy?
The reason we send the Workbooks in PDF form is that a) it is much quicker to email them (you receive it almost instantly) and b) because printing, postage and packaging would add about £25 to the cost of your product because we don’t hold printed stock. if we receive enough enquiries we can print some workbooks for our customers, but at the moment it seems that most customers would prefer the lower cost and to print the workbook themselves.
