About the on-call firefighter role

Being an on-call firefighter is an extremely popular and rewarding career. There are so many great things we can say about working for Avon Fire & Rescue Service, but here are some of the best parts of being an on-call firefighter:

Annual on-call retaining feeAnnual on-call retaining feeHourly rateAttendan-ce feeTurnout feeDrill night fee
Full coverPart cover
Trainee£2,718£2,038.50£12.41£104.24£17.18£24.82
Developm-ent£2,831£2,123.25£12.93£108.59£17.70£25.86
Competen-t£3,623£2,717.25£16.54£138.95£21.31£33.08


Example earnings per month based on 2023 full cover rates of pay, competent salary and one turn out and one attendance.

On-call retainer (full cover)£301.92
Drill night fee (based on four nights)£132.32
Turnout fee (one turnout)£21.31
Attendance fee (one attendance)£138.95
 £595.50

Example of earnings during training school approximation based on 2023 trainee rates of pay. Training school completed over approximately 2 months with gaps between each course section.

Basic training week 1 (7 continuous days)£729.68
Basic training week 2 (5 continuous days)£521.20
Road traffic collision training (3 continuous days)£312.72
Breathing apparatus week 1 (5 continuous days)£521.20
Breathing apparatus week 2 (5 continuous days)£521.20
 £2,606

Eligibility

Becoming an on-call firefighter with Avon Fire & Rescue Service is a really valuable choice of career and one which will benefit both you and your community; however there are some criteria which we ask for:

Before applying it is important to consider your current occupation (your primary employment), particularly if this involves driving duties. Please read about driving and the EU Drivers Hours and Tachograph Rules for Goods Vehicles which may apply to you. All applicants are required to complete a driving questionnaire as part of their application.

Drivers hours’ and tachograph rules 

Please read the following important information about the EU Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Rules for Goods Vehicles (Regulation 561/2006) which might affect you if you are applying for the role of on-call firefighter.

The EU Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Rules for Goods Vehicles came into effect in April 2007 and exist to ensure the health and safety of mobile workers and drivers of in scope vehicles. The purpose of the rules is to limit driving time and ensure proper break and rest periods are taken so that road traffic collisions are prevented.

The rules apply to certain categories of ‘mobile workers’, the most common being drivers of Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) and Passenger Service Vehicles (PSV) – ‘in-scope vehicles’.

Although fire and rescue service vehicles are exempt, the rules do apply where a firefighter holds a second job which involves driving. In this case all the strict breaks and rest periods must be adhered to, even if that firefighter only drives in scope vehicles for a short period of time.

The rules particularly apply to on-call firefighters and will impact on the ability of an on-call firefighter who drives an in-scope vehicle during their primary employment to get appropriate rest periods. This will also affect their availability to provide firefighter cover. It has therefore been deemed unlawful for us to employ an individual whose primary or other employment conflicts with the rules and we will be unable to accept an application from you if you are a mobile worker driving an in-scope vehicle.

If you are unsure as to whether you drive an in-scope vehicle you should seek advice from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA). For all other questions regarding an application for on-call firefighter please contact the Recruitment Team.

Page last updated