On-Call Firefighters

We are currently seeking candidates for on-call firefighter positions at: Bath, Yate, Winscombe, Nailsea, Chew Magna, Yatton, Blagdon, Clevedon, Portishead, Pill, Thornbury, Paulton and Radstock Fire Stations.

About the 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 (AF&RS), but here are some of the best parts of being an on-call firefighter:

• The satisfaction of knowing that every time you respond to your station you are genuinely helping your community and making a difference to people’s lives.
• The opportunity to learn new skills, progress and be promoted in your second career.
• The chance to test yourself and reach the potential you never knew you had.
• You will join the fire and rescue service family where most of your work will be focused on providing a response to emergencies including fires and road traffic collisions.
• Occupational health and paid holidays.
• You will earn a second income for providing this invaluable service to your community. As a trainee on-call firefighter, you will initially be placed on the trainee rate of pay. Upon completion of your training your pay will increase to the development rate until you have completed your development phase and are deemed competent. You will then be paid at the appropriate competent rate of pay. Annual salary and other payments are detailed in the table below.
• Paid annual leave – the current paid annual leave entitlement for a full cover on-call firefighter is 30 days, rising to 33 days after five years continuous service.

What we will need from you

Becoming an on-call firefighter with AF&RS 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:

• You must live and/or work within five minutes of your local on-call fire station (situated in Bath, Blagdon, Chew Magna, Clevedon, Nailsea, Paulton, Pill, Portishead, Radstock, Thornbury, Weston-super-Mare, Winscombe, Yate, and Yatton). 
• You must be aged 18 or over when firefighter training starts.
• You must be physically fit, and have good upper body strength, hearing and eyesight.
• You must be offering the level of cover your local on-call fire station requires. 
• You must have GCSEs grade A-C in Maths and English or equivalent or be prepared to undertake Maths and English tests as part of the selection process.

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.

How to apply

Please also download the Confirmation of Release form found below for you and your current employer to sign. Once complete, please forward a copy to [email protected]. Please note, we will be unable to progress your application if we do not receive this document.

Confirmation of Release (65kB pdf)

For further information, please contact Human Resources on 01179 262061 or [email protected]

With effect from July 2023 legislation was amended to enable all Fire & Rescue Services to undertake standard DBS checks for all employees.  All job roles require a standard DBS check, with certain defined roles requiring an enhanced check.  These will be renewed throughout employment.

Avon Fire & Rescue Service is committed to securing equality of opportunity. We welcome applications from all members of our community who are currently under-represented at Avon Fire & Rescue Service, particularly women, Disabled people and members of ethnic minority communities.