Becoming a Fire-fighter

Becoming a firefighter is one of those childhood dreams, along with being a ballet dancer or playing for England. A firefighter (‘fireman’ is no longer the correct term) has a responsible, demanding job as a protector of the community, but it may not be as exciting as those childhood dreams had us believe, with only one in five callouts being fire-related. The remaining four can be anything from rescuing an animal that is stuck up a tree to a request to speak at a community event about keeping homes and businesses safe. Consequently, a firefighter needs to be able to deal with a wide variety of situations in an appropriate manner, so confident, open-minded and approachable people are most suited to this role.

Working Conditions

The variety of situations a firefighter may find him or herself in, include rescuing people, property and animals from accidents, fires and disasters. They are often called to road traffic accidents, floods, rail accidents and spillages of hazardous chemicals and waste.

Firefighters need to know the local area in great detail to be able to quickly get to where they need to be and advise as necessary. The training of a firefighter includes this as well as advanced driving skills for fire engines as appropriate.

The role of a firefighter is also that of community champion, with regular requirements to present fire safety at schools, community groups, clubs such as Brownies and fun days. The local fire station may also have open days, with presentations of the equipment and fire drills.

Most fire stations work in six man crews, with 24 hour a day shift work. The teams are required to work closely together, so building camaraderie is an important element of the work. The shift work means that there are usually kitchen facilities at the station, with the firefighters sharing cooking duties on their shift, while being prepared for rapid response call outs at any time. This means it can be a highly-charged atmosphere, with stress-related issues relatively common, especially for those with family commitments, so this is not a career to be taken on lightly.

Entry Requirements

Degrees and diplomas are not generally required, although a minimum of 5 GCSEs grades A-C is usual. A high level of health and fitness is required, with regular reviews.

Salary expectations for firefighters follow the Fire Brigade Union payscale, which starts at £20,896 for a junior firefighter. This can be increased by around 20% with shift allowances and London weighting. Fully trained firefighters earn £27,851, with the London weighting adding a further £4,840. Station managers can expect to earn between £35,916 and £39,614.

Full and part time firefighter roles are available, as well as retained firefighters. These are part time roles that are given to people working in other jobs that can commit to being on call for certain shifts. It is important to get your employers approval before taking on a retained firefighter role, as although it is encouraged by some larger employers it can be very hard to accommodate for small businesses.

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