Could YOU be Wareham’s next On-Call Firefighter?
Join the Team at Wareham Fire Station
What do a paramedic, a recruitment advisor, a joiner, a bricklayer and a special effects expert all have in common?
They are all on-call firefighters at Wareham fire station, working with other colleagues to keep the fire engine and off-road Unimog available for emergencies as much as possible.
What is an On Call Firefighter?
The majority of fire stations in Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) – including Wareham – are crewed by on-call firefighters.
On-call firefighters are paid professionals, who do the same work as their wholetime colleagues. They can respond to a wide range of incidents, including:
- Fires in homes, businesses, and open spaces – such as the heaths that are prevalent on Purbeck
- Road traffic collisions
- Rescues from height or water
- Flooding or animal rescue
Unlike wholetime firefighters, they are not based at the fire station but have other jobs and commitments, responding to emergencies only when their alerter goes off.
On-call firefighters come from every walk of life, from parents looking for work while their children are at school to directors of companies. What they all have in common is self-reliance, confidence, respect, enthusiasm, team spirit, and a willingness to be ready for anything when they are alerted to an emergency.
Why do people become on-call firefighters?
- “I work at a desk most of the time, so I wanted to do something that kept me active.”
- “My dad was a firefighter, so it’s something I always wanted to do.”
- “I was looking for a second job, and this fitted in brilliantly with my other commitments – and it’s useful income.”
- “I wanted to prove to myself that I could, and I’ve loved it.”
- “It’s a great way to support the place where I live and work.”
People become on-call firefighters for many different reasons, and they are a vital part of their local community. Being an on-call firefighter is rewarding and challenging – it requires determination, motivation, and a genuine desire to serve your community.
You will also gain valuable skills that can benefit you in your main employment or personal development, such as:
- First aid and medical response
- Driving qualifications
- Health & safety knowledge
- Teamwork, communication and leadership skills
Requirements for an On Call Firefighter
To be an on-call firefighter, you must:
- Be at least 18 years old when you join (you can apply once you are 17½);
- Live or work near the fire station so you can respond quickly;
- Have a good standard of physical fitness; and
- Have the right to work in the UK.
Ideally, your travel time to your local fire station from home or work will be no more than five minutes – however, applicants from further afield would be considered, so an early conversation with the station management team is encouraged, to help them understand what cover you can offer and when.
Wareham particularly needs people who can be available at weekends, but all cover is welcome – the on-call hours are based around people’s availability and other commitments, aligned to the requirements for operational cover at the station.
Some people commit to the same hours of cover every week, while others provide variable cover around the shifts they work for another employer, or to suit their other commitments, such as childcare responsibilities.
To ensure that firefighters can achieve and maintain their operational competence, the ideal commitment is at least 40 hours of availability per week. Similarly, to allow everyone to maintain a work-life balance, no more than 120 hours of availability per week is encouraged.
Full training is provided on an on-going basis, therefore previous experience is not needed. Even if you don’t provide evening cover, you will be expected to attend drill nights (which are on Tuesday in Wareham), plus other training as required.
DWFRS is committed to equality of opportunity and diversity in employment, and welcomes applications from all parts of the community.
Find out more
All the information you need – from advice on how to get fit to guidance on the application process – can be found at www.dwfire.org.uk/on-call-firefighters or contact DWFRS via recruitment@dwfire.org.uk
Wareham fire station is recruiting on-call firefighters NOW so pop into the station on any Tuesday evening for a chat from 6.30pm to 9.30pm
