On-Call selection process

Selection process

Availability

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.

Application Form

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 under the 'interview' section below.

Online Tests

As part of the application process (if your meet the essential criteria) you will undertake two online assessments covering Maths and English Comprehension, which are timed.

Job Related Tests

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:

Job related Tests

Test	Description	YouTube
Equipment Carry	To test aerobic fitness, stamina, upper and lower body strength and co-ordination	see video
Phobias	To test phobias, you will be required to complete a ladder climb and a claustrophobia test.

Interview

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 below.

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)

Swimming Test

The swim test will be split into 3 parts, please note that goggles are not permitted. In addition to your swim wear, please also bring a thin t-shirt to wear during the swim test.

Part 1 - front crawl & backstroke any combination, consisting of two lengths of a 25-metre pool within 3 minutes, starting and finishing in the shallow end.

Part 2 - energetic (fast as possible) 25m swim (front crawl) with personal floatation device (PFD).

Part 3 - jump in pool at the deep end, tread water for 1 minute and then exit the water unaided.

Pre employment checks

Basic criminal records check

A satisfactory basic check will be requested from Disclosure England 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.

Reference checks

At least two satisfactory references will be sought.  One must be from you current or most recent employer.  Your references will need to cover the past 3 years of employment.