So what are the basic requirements needed to become a firefighter?
There are a few essentials:
You must also:
Written by a highly experienced, long-serving Firefighter, our book is 100% targeted to what you need to do to achieve the sort of fitness, strength, stamina and flexibility you must have to reliably perform the complex role of a modern firefighter.
You’ll also have to pass a criminal record check before you can be offered employment.
It’s expected that you’ll be resident in the locality of the FRS you’re applying to, and be available to work antisocial hours and holiday periods, and cover for sickness and emergencies (sometimes at very short notice).
Most of the positions advertised will state that they expect you to be educated to GCSE level.
However personal qualities and life experience are very important to the recruitment team.
A good level of literacy and numeracy is an advantage however, as you will have to complete various psychometric tests during the application process.
It all may seem a bit daunting for those considering a change of career, or coming into the fire service at a later stage.
However if you can prove to the recruitment team in your application and interview that you meet the PQAs (Personal Qualities and Attributes) needed for the role this could in some cases get you further than paper qualifications.
There are various things you can do to make yourself a more appealing candidate – visiting your local station, volunteering, or doing a bit of homework and learning more about the fire service and the role of a firefighter.
We’re here to help you through every step of the process, and have products specially tailored to helping you with all aspects of recruitment – the application, ability testing and interview.