A Career as a Fire-fighter

A Career as a Fire-fighter is a lot more diverse than you would think. Not only are you dealing with fires and rescuing people and property from all types of disaster you will be involved in educating the public in the art of fire safety as well as writing reports and helping with overall public safety.

A Career as a Fire-fighter
If you are considering a career as a fire-fighter one of the areas that you must first consider is whether you can work the hours. Fire-fighters tend to work a 42 hour week shift which is divided into shifts - many of these shifts can be unsocial hours that include day or night. A trainee fire-fighter will start on a a salary of approximately £19k and will go onto earn up to £26k. However, station managers can go onto earn up to £35k plus.

Applying To the Fire Force
In order to apply for a position as a firefighter contact the recruitment office as your local branch.Formal qualifications are not required to join the fire force. However, these positions are open to graduates and further education trained candidates. Also a good general education is required and GCSE’s in English, Maths and Science are considered a plus. The number of female and black and minority fire-fighters is also growing and discrimination in the fire force is not tolerated. In order to join the fire force you are however expected to:

• Be physically fit and pass the statutory physical fitness test
• Be able to work in dangerous conditions as well as carry lots of heavy equipment.
• Be at least 18 years old
• Be able to pass the stringent medical and eye and hearing examination.

In addition to the medical test you will also be expected to pass a job-related test as well as attend an interview. Within this job related test they will be looking at your overall qualities as an individual. A Fire-fighter in a disaster is one of the most influential people working with the public. There decisions can mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, it is extremely important that the people with the right attitude work within the profession. Within these test they will be looking at your honesty, initiative, flexibility, communication skills and your ability to work as part of a team under pressure.

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