On-call firefighter
On-call firefighters are members of the community who are paid to respond to emergencies. They do not staff the fire station 24 hours a day like full-time firefighters on the whole-time duty system.
On-call firefighters are members of the community who are paid to respond to emergencies. They do not staff the fire station 24 hours a day like full-time firefighters on the whole-time duty system.
They are notified of an emergency call via a personal pager, which they carry with them when they are on duty.
On-call firefighters will book themselves available for fire calls and, if a call comes in during the hours they are available, they must reach the fire station within the allocated time usually within 5 minutes of receiving the pager message.
Some of our on-call firefighters are in full-time employment with an agreement from their employers to leave to attend an emergency call.
Applicants must be able to regularly attend the weekly training night of their local station.
Station | Weekly Training Night | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | |
Alfreton | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Ashbourne | 19.00 - 21.30 | |||
Bakewell | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Belper | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Bolsover | 18.15 - 20.45 | |||
Bradwell | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Buxton | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Chapel-en-le-frith | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Clay Cross | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Clowne | 17.30 - 20.00 | |||
Crich | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Dronfield | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Duffield | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Glossop | 19.00 - 21.30 | |||
Hathersage | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Heanor | 19.00 - 21.30 | |||
Ilkeston | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Long Eaton | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Matlock | 19.00 - 21.30 | |||
Melbourne | 19.00 - 21.30 | |||
New Mils | 18.45 - 21.15 | |||
Ripley | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Shirebrook | 18.15 - 20.45 | |||
Staveley | 18.00 - 20.30 | |||
Swadlincote | 18.30 - 21.00 | |||
Whaley Bridge | 18.45 - 21.15 | |||
Wirksworth | 18.45 - 21.15 |
All remuneration is paid in accordance with the National Joint Council (NJC) Conditions of Service for Local Authorities Fire Brigades.
On-Call Firefighters receive a retaining fee reflective of the cover provided.
All work activity is paid at the basic hourly rate. When on-call firefighters respond to an emergency they receive a minimum of one hours pay where they form part of the crew that responds and a minimum of half an hours pay where they do not form part of that crew.
When called out on an emergency they will receive a fixed disturbance payment on each occasion in addition to the hourly pay rate.
Firefighter | £ per annum | £ per annum | £ per hour | £ per occasion |
---|---|---|---|---|
Trainee | 2,383 | 1,192 | 10.88 | 4.18 |
Development | 2,483 | 1,241 | 11.34 | 4.18 |
Competent | 3,177 | 1,588 | 14.51 | 4.18 |
To establish when you are available to provide cover, you will need to tell us your hours of availability. This will be verified alongside the requirements of the station and your ability to respond to the station within the required time.
You will be required to complete an application form which includes your personal details and answer a number of Personal Qualities and Attribute (PQA) questions. You can download the Personal Qualities and Attributes guide available in our downloads section.
You will undertake two papers from the National Firefighter Ability Test - Working with Numbers and Understanding Information. You will also undertake a Memory Retention and Recall Test.
The tests are taken under exam conditions and will last approximately three hours including a break. You can download the written test practice booklet available in our downloads section.
The tests will determine whether you have the required levels of aerobic fitness and strength to carry out the role of a firefighter. These tests are designed to simulate aspects of a firefighter's role. You will be required to wear fire kit. The tests are as follows:
Test | Description | YouTube |
---|---|---|
Equipment Carry | To test aerobic fitness, stamina, upper and lower body strength and co-ordination | see video |
This is a panel interview which will last no more than one hour. You will be asked several PQA and scenario based questions and we advise that you use the S.T.A.R. model to answer these questions. You can download the on-call firefighter interview practice booklet in our related documents.
Personal Qualities And Attributes (pdf 122.14 KB)
Firefighter Interview Practice Booklet (pdf 326.14 KB)
Firefighter Written Tests Practice Booklet (pdf 749.21 KB)
You will be required to undertake a medical assessment and asked to declare any health problems.
During the medical you will have the following checks:
Listen to heart and lungs, examine abdomen and reflexes etc.
Raised blood pressure may require further investigation from your GP.
This will be assessed using a lung function machine which will identify a sufficient respiratory capacity to carry out firefighting. This is to ensure adequate oxygen intake is maintained to carry out duties requiring exertion over prolonged periods of time.
Testing for alcohol will take the form of breath testing. Saliva samples will be taken to test for substances.
A good standard of hearing is required as firefighting is a safety critical role. Hearing is assessed using an audiometer in a sound proofed booth.
This will help to assess general health and fitness.
A sample of urine will be required to test for signs of Diabetes or other medical conditions.
The vision standards for becoming a firefighter are as follows: Advice should be sought from your Optician on whether you meet the standards below before submitting an application to become a firefighter.
It is essential to have a good level of aerobic fitness and functional strength endurance. Your aerobic fitness will be assessed at the medical stage using a Chester treadmill Incline Test. Your strength endurance will be assessed at the selection stage using the Firefighter equipment carry test. Guidance on how to prepare for both the aerobic and strength endurance test can be found in the documents section below.
Fitness guidance
Fitness Pack pdf 1,042.18 KB
Strength training recommendations pdf 882.77 KB
Resting Heart Rate pdf 149.25 KB
Post Exercise Flexibility pdf 448.34 KB
Fitness test preparation
Preparation Tips for any fitness test pdf 18.38 KB
Chester Treadmill Test poster pdf 143.01 KB
Equipment Circuit Simulation pdf 91.83 KB
The basic training of on-call firefighters takes place at the Joint Training Centre (JTC) in Ripley. All trainees must be able to attend all of the training course.
Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 1 | Induction | Basic Skills | Basic Skills | ||||
Week 2 | Basic Skills | Basic Skills | |||||
Week 3 | Off | Off | |||||
Week 4 | BA | BA | BA | BA | BA | Off | Off |
Week 5 | BA | BA | BA | BA | BA | Off | Off |
Week 6 | BA | BA | BA | BA | BA | Off | Off |
Week 7 | RTC | RTC | |||||
Week 8 | RTC | RTC | RTC |
A satisfactory basic Disclosure Scotland check will be requested to ensure that you have not been convicted of a criminal offence which makes your employment in the role of a Firefighter unsuitable. This application is made in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
Two satisfactory references will be sought. One must be from your current or most recent employer.