Pass Your Supervisory Manager Interview for Promotion eBook
Firefighter Requirements
So what are the basic requirements needed to become a firefighter?
There are a few essentials:
- You must be over the age of 18
- You must have the right to live in the UK
- You must be eligible to work in the UK
You must also:
- Hold a full UK driving licence (though some FRS’s will accept you if you’re in the process of getting one – ask the recruitment team)
- Be confident in and around water, and have the ability to swim at least 100 metres unaided
- Have no known phobia of heights or enclosed spaces
- Pass the required medical health checks, including eyesight tests
- Meet the required physical fitness standards
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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).
Qualifications
Some of the positions advertised will state that they expect you to be educated to GCSE level. Some will ask for GCSE Maths or English, and if you have these you may not also need to complete the ability test (numerical and verbal reasoning). Some FRS’s request all applicants complete the ability tests irrespective of GCSE results.
A good level of literacy and numeracy is an advantage if you have to complete various psychometric tests during the application process, and of course these are also important skills to help you as a Firefighter.
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 can demonstrate the personal qualities and behaviours needed for the role this will help you get ahead.
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. Fire Services will often have open days or ‘have a go’ days. It may even be a requirement that you attend one and register your interest in applying then. This isn’t true of all FRS so make sure you keep an eye on the websites of any you are interested in applying to.
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, assessment days and interview.
Want to find out more?
Plenty of people want to join the Fire Service. But what is it like once you are in? We asked around to get some behind the scenes insights, and found some surprising answers…
