LINCOLNSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE
WHAT WILL
BEING AN
ON-CALL
FIREFIGHTER
MEAN FOR
YOU?
Saving lives?
Protecting your community?
Earning some extra money?
Being part of the Fire Service family?
Extra skills and training?
Sense of pride?
Official Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue
@lincsfirerescue
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr
3
3
3
3
3
3
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
2
CONTENTS
What are on-call firefighters?...................................................................... 2
Being an on-call firefighter in Lincolnshire................................................. 3
Why are on-call firefighters needed?......................................................... 3
Can I be an on-call firefighter?................................................................... 4
What can we offer you?.............................................................................. 6
Becoming an on-call firefighter when you are self-employed.................... 6
Information for your employer.................................................................... 8
Training and development....................................................................... 8-9
General information.................................................................................... 9
Recruitment and selection process.......................................................... 11
Join the team............................................................................................ 11
How to apply............................................................................................ 11
WHAT ARE ON-CALL
FIREFIGHTERS?
On-call firefighters are paid Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue personnel from all walks of
life; they usually have other jobs but are able to provide a certain number of hours oncall.
On-call firefighters can be anyone – cooks, factory workers, farmers, care workers,
home workers, window cleaners, teachers, school caretakers, personal trainers, the
list is endless. They all do everyday jobs until the emergency call is received and then
quite literally they put on their other hat and become professional firefighters. You
would not be a back-up or support team – you will be a frontline life saver.
All on-call firefighters carry an alerter and must be able to get to the fire station within
five minutes of a call. You could be at home, working for yourself or for a company.
Because of this, you need to live or work within five minutes of your local station.
When you are on-call, you need to be able to stop whatever you are doing and go
straight to the station.
You will be trained to deal with the same range of situations and incidents as your
whole-time colleagues.
Above all, the role requires a real desire to serve the community in which you live or
work and to have what it takes to step up and help that community when it needs you
the most.
Lincolnshire is the fourth largest county in England and is served by 38 fire stations.
Every single one of these stations has at least one appliance which is crewed by oncall firefighters. Please see the map of our fire stations on the back cover.
When firefighters are called to an emergency, they could be dealing with any type of
incident, ranging from road, rail or air collisions through to floods or chemical spills, as
well as house, commercial and industrial fires.
This type of work requires a range of personal skills such as courage, understanding,
reliability, flexibility, determination, self-motivation, and the ability to work within a
team.
WHY ARE ON-CALL
FIREFIGHTERS NEEDED?
We are recruiting for on-call firefighters because most people no longer live and
work in the same area, especially in the rural villages that make up the majority of
our county. This has created a particular shortfall in people who are available during
weekdays (8am-5pm).
We need people like you who can offer their time while at home, work or both.
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER
IN LINCOLNSHIRE
3
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
4
CAN I BE AN ON-CALL
FIREFIGHTER?
ƒƒDistance - you need to work or live within 5 minutes of a fire station as you have to
be able to get there within 5 minutes of your alerter going off (driving at normal road
speed).
ƒƒFlexible - because we can’t predict when you will be called out, you have to be
flexible in your work or home-based activities. The chances are that you work for an
understanding employer who is prepared to let you off from time to time when the
alerter goes or you could be working for yourself, or simply have time available to
help protect the community. When you are on-call and your alerter goes off, you will
need to stop whatever it is you are doing and report immediately to the fire station.
ƒƒAge – you must be 18 years or older and there is no upper limit.
ƒƒFit to fight fires – don’t believe everything you hear about firefighters, they come
in all shapes and sizes. There is no denying it can be a tough job; you will need a
good all-round level of fitness to be able to pass and maintain the fitness standards.
There are no maximum or minimum height restrictions.
ƒƒValues – you will need to be able to reflect the Service values at all times; and
just as important, you need qualities such as common sense, commitment and
enthusiasm.
ƒƒTime commitment - You will be required to attend an evening training session
each week called a drill night, as well as occasional weekend training – see pages
8-9. The drill night lasts for 2 ½ hours and takes place at your local fire station. The
details of the drill night at your local station can be found on its relevant station page
on our website. For your application to be accepted, the hours you would need
to be available will depend upon the needs of your local fire station. All stations
need people around the clock but most need more people to cover during daytime
hours on weekdays. For details on the needs of your station, please contact the
Recruitment Team on 0800 3580 204. The amount of calls you could be turned out
to will depend on which station you can provide cover for. Because we sometimes
have more firefighters available than are needed for each call, you won’t have to
attend every call. In addition, when you really can’t spare the time for some reason
– a holiday or deadline at work for example – you can book “off-call”. We realise that
everyone needs to balance their working life with their private life and that means
being able to enjoy some quality time off.
ƒƒAvailability - Ideally, we would like our on-call firefighters to commit to more than
120 hours availability each week but we appreciate that this is a big ask so we
usually accept over 90 hours availability. However, we recognise that in some cases
our on-call firefighters cannot commit to this, therefore a reduction in hours may be
considered by the Service. Each case is treated on an individual basis depending
upon the needs of the local fire station. In most cases where call outs take place,
these are generally resolved within an hour. In more prolonged incidents, this would
increase to a maximum of 4 hours.
ƒƒFamily support - Without the support and encouragement of partners and families,
on-call firefighters would struggle to carry out their role. This support does mean
that occasionally the lives of partners and families can be affected. It is difficult to
plan spur of the moment activities, you could be called out in the middle of the night
and you cannot be relied upon to be the sole-carer when on call. Alternative child
However, having an on-call firefighter in the family does have its advantages: financial
benefits, being a positive role model, training in first aid and specialist knowledge to
know how to make sure your home is safe.
CASE STUDY: JENI AND TONY
“Whilst I am very proud of how far my husband has gone in the fire service in such a
short time, I also find it terrifying when he goes on a shout as you don’t know what the
call out is, where it is or just how dangerous it is.
“I also find that being an on-call firefighter restricts you from doing things as a family.
We can’t always go out and do things together as the hubby has to stay booked on for
fear of taking the pump off the run.
“However, I also know that if he was to book off call and something was to happen
that their station could have attended, he would never forgive himself.
“To anyone who is thinking of becoming an on-call firefighter: it’s not a ‘whenever’
position, it’s a ‘you need to be dedicated’ position, a ‘willing to give up your spare
time’ position, but also a ‘great career move’ position.
“Yes it has it’s downfalls but it also has great rewards.”
Jeni, Tony’s wife
“‘Although many of the call outs that we get are hazardous and sometimes dangerous,
before being able to go ‘on the run’ you undergo an extensive and intense training
programme, culminating in a pass out parade. This is one of the proudest things I
have done and it is where you get your ‘competent to ride’ certificate.
“This, coupled with the new on station training plan and development folder, means
you are fully equipped to deal with all incidents from a cat in a tree to a full house fire,
so once the alerters go off... the training kicks in.”
Tony, on-call firefighter at Binbrook Fire Station
When he is not responding to emergencies and fighting fires,
Tony works for ABS MotorSport, who build and
design panels for racing cars
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
or dependent care arrangements need to be made in case you need to respond to
an emergency. For example, some firefighters have ‘999 Nannies’ who will have an
alerter and meet the firefighter at the station if they have a fire call.
5
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
6
WHAT CAN WE OFFER YOU?
As an on-call firefighter, you will automatically be entitled to the benefits offered to our
other employees such as:
ƒƒA pension scheme.
ƒƒA personalised range of employee benefits available to you and your family.
This includes discounted and special rates applying to a number of venues and
purchases.
ƒƒFlexible working practices.
ƒƒExcellent training opportunities.
ƒƒLeave entitlement (paid holidays).
ƒƒTax saving initiatives – such as childcare vouchers.
The current on-call firefighter pay system is:
ƒƒA percentage of the wholetime firefighter rate known as a ‘retainer fee’. The retainer
fee depends upon the number of hours cover you are able to provide – see below
for details.
ƒƒAn allowance based on the same hourly rate as our Wholetime firefighters for
attending training nights and call outs.
ƒƒA disturbance allowance paid on top of your retainer fee and turnout fee, if you are
disturbed (called out).
Retainer Fee – Annual Wage.
£ per annum
Hourly Rate
£ per hour
Disturbance
Allowance
£ per hour
Firefighter
level*
120 hours or
more on-call
per week
Less than 120
hours on-call
per week
For incidents
or training
For each
call-out
Trainee
£2,202
£1,651
£10.05
£3.86
Development
£2,293
£1,720
£10.47
£3.86
Competent
£2,935
£2,201
£13.40
£3.86
*please see pages 8-9 for details on the different firefighter levels
BECOMING AN ON-CALL
FIREFIGHTER WHEN YOU ARE
SELF-EMPLOYED
In Lincolnshire, a large percentage of our on-call firefighters are self-employed. These
include mechanics, builders, plumbers, IT consultants, window cleaners, personal
trainers and shop owners.
Many of these people have found that being an on-call firefighter has a positive
impact on their business. They have better links with their local businesses and
communities and they are well known and trusted by the people in their area.
Roy Darwood started his own building and plumbing business in Metheringham 35
years ago. Just one year later, he joined the local station as an on-call firefighter.
Roy will be 60 this year and he continues to serve at the station, now as the Watch
Manager. He reflected on why he joined the service: “Two of my previous bosses
had been firefighters and I knew a few other firefighters from the village; all of them
recommended it as a career.
“I was doing some work at a firefighter’s house, who told me it was a good laugh at
drill nights. He said that a few people were retiring so I should pop to the station.
“The recruitment process was very different in those days. I went to the drill night for
what I thought was a chat but I ended up passing the tests and had my uniform a
week later. After 6 weeks, I was on the run.
“I really enjoyed it and only ever saw it as a hobby but I was promoted to Sub Officer
after five years. People do it because they want to do their bit for the community; it’s
not always money motivated. Metheringham was, and still is, a very sociable station.
We help each other out if we need it. It’s a good bunch of lads and lasses.”
“We do things for the local village; we donated a beacon to the Parish Council, which
we light when requested, ie D-Day and the Queen’s Jubilee. Currently, I employ four
people; two of which are on-call firefighters. I manage my work commitments by
using a ‘crewing system’ so that at least one person is booked off from fire service
duties. This means neither my customers nor the fire service are left in the lurch. Our
customers are local, and they know we are on-call firefighters and accept it.”
“I remember in 1995, I was working at a house and turned the water off at 9.15am.
I then got a fire call and didn’t return until midnight, but the customer understood.
In return, customers know that if they have a building or plumbing emergency, they
can call me day or night. They also know if they ever need the fire service, they are
confident that their local crew has personnel available to respond.”
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
CASE STUDY –
ROY DARWOOD, METHERINGHAM
7
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
8
INFORMATION FOR YOUR
EMPLOYER
If you are planning on responding to incidents while you are at your place of work,
you must have the permission of your employer. It is important that they understand
what this involves so please ensure your employer receives the ‘Lincolnshire Fire
and Rescue Employer Information Booklet’, which can be requested through the
Recruitment Team or is available on our website.
Employers will also need to sign a form confirming that you can be released from
work. This will form part of the application process.
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Initial Training
If you are selected to join Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, regardless of your
qualifications and experience, you and other new recruits will receive the same initial
training; consisting of technical, practical and theoretical work.
The course includes 32 days over a 3 month period, taking place over weekends and
weekdays at our Waddington Training Facility. There are three full Monday to Friday
residential weeks, one each month. Contact the Recruitment Team for the dates of the
next course.
The course includes training in basic core skills such as using ladders and hoses,
breathing apparatus, trauma training, road traffic collisions, and a fire station day to
consolidate all your learning.
There are a total of 14 assessments during the course, both theoretical and practical.
There is a lot of new learning and you will need to commit to a certain amount of home
study.
You will be supported throughout the course by experienced Training Centre
Instructors. On successfully passing your assessments, you will be awarded your
Competent to Ride certificate – you will then be an on-call ‘development firefighter’
and able to go out on 999 emergency calls.
Development Training
Once you have passed-out from your initial training course, you will become a
‘development firefighter’. To become a fully trained ‘competent firefighter’, you will
need to go through a development training package which can be completed over a
maximum four year period. The development programme normally takes 24 months to
complete.
During your first year as a development firefighter, you will also need to attend the
following training courses:
ƒƒBreathing Apparatus Team Leader – 1 day course at our Waddington Training
Facility approximately 6 months after completing the initial recruits training course.
ƒƒPump Operators Course – 3 days (week days) at our Waddington Training Facility
approximately 12 months after completing the initial recruits training course.
Once you have completed your development programme, you will be deemed a
‘competent firefighter’. As shown in the table on page 6, you will then receive a pay
rise to reflect this competence.
There are also promotion opportunities as there is a definite on-call firefighter rank
structure. Once you become competent, you will have the chance to work towards
becoming a ‘Crew Manager’ and then finally, ‘Watch Manager’ of your station.
You will receive further training throughout your career to ensure that you are kept up
to date with the latest technology, equipment and rescue techniques.
Every two years you will need to attend a Breathing Apparatus refresher course
at Waddington Training Facility. This is a one day course which may be booked in
advance with both weekend and week days to choose from.
Other optional training is also available to on-call firefighters, such as LGV training to
be able to drive fire appliances.
Specialist Training
There are also fire stations with additional resources who participate in specialist
training such as:
ƒƒCo-responders
ƒƒAnimal Rescue
ƒƒHigh Volume Pumps
ƒƒSwift Water Rescue
ƒƒIncident Response Unit
On-call firefighters at these fire stations also participate in additional quarterly or
annual training commitments over and above their weekly drill night – training is
usually completed on a weekend day or on another evening.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Uniform
Uniform and Personal Protective Equipment is provided and must be worn whilst
you are on duty. When wearing uniform, you should ensure that your conduct is
professional at all times.
Personal Appearance
Hair (including facial hair) must not impair the seal of the breathing apparatus face
mask nor must it impair vision or hearing.
Whilst on duty the use of make-up or hair preparations, such as gel or hair spray, is
not allowed.
Medical
You will be required to pass a medical to become an on-call firefighter, which includes
a variety of tests such as eye sight and blood pressure. Full details of this test can be
found on our website or contact the Recruitment Team.
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
Continuation Training, Learning and Development
9
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
10
PART-TIME FIREFIGHTERS,
FULL-TIME PARENTS
Two on-call firefighters in Metheringham share how they balance caring for their
children with working for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, and say other people may be
able to do the same.
Laura Peckham is a retained firefighter
in Metheringham, as well as a full-time
mum caring for her two young children –
Georgia (8) and Grace (3). She has been
a firefighter for 11 years and serves on
the station with her husband Julian, who
is also a retained firefighter and a Training
Instructor with the Service.
Laura explains how she balances
these two very important commitments:
“Metheringham fire station is really
community driven and I have two ‘999
Nannies’, and these ladies are on-call for
me.
“Like firefighters, they have an alerter. If I
receive a fire call, one of them will meet me
at the station and look after the girls until I
return. I also have a lot of support in looking
after the kids from a retired couple in the
village – Peggy and Keith. They are really
eager to help out their community in any
way they can.
“It’s impossible to say from one day to
the next when I will be called out, so I
wouldn’t be able to do this job if it wasn’t
for my childcare team! I actually trained as
a hairdresser but firefighting was always
something I wanted to do. At the first
opportunity, I contacted the station, took
the tests and passed.”
“If you have children and think that means
you couldn’t be a firefighter, every village
has a ‘Peggy and Keith’ so it can work!”
Will Wright joined the crew
nine years ago, and like Laura,
he has two young children.
He says: “I have the kids
two nights a week and every
other weekend. It is hard work
sometimes balancing the two
roles, but Metheringham is such
a supportive community and
the fire station plays a part in
that. We are all really close.
“The crew have always treated
me like family. Laura and I
cover for each other to look
after the kids and everyone else
on station helps out when they
can.
“Apart from being a parent,
becoming a firefighter is one of
the best things I’ve ever done.
It’s such a cliché, but it really
has made me see the world in a
different light.
“If you’ve ever thought about
joining, please give our
recruitment team a call. They
will put you in contact with
the crew at your local station,
who’ll be happy to answer any
questions you may have.”
For details regarding the selection process, please refer to the Become an on-call
Firefighter section on our web-site.
JOIN THE TEAM
Firefighting is not like any other job. It can be unpredictable, exciting, challenging and
rewarding along with the satisfaction and respect that comes with providing a crucial
service to your local community. You will learn new transferable skills along the way
such as first aid, trauma training and fire safety.
Joining Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue is a great way of meeting new people – both
the community who you help and the people you work with. There is a special kind of
bond amongst firefighters. It comes from working together as a team in conditions that
are sometimes potentially dangerous or emotive. That helps bind you together as few
jobs could.
HOW TO APPLY
If you are interested in becoming an on-call firefighter, please visit your local station
on their drill night. Details of when these are can be found on our website or by calling
the Recruitment Team on 0800 3580 204. Come and talk to the local firefighters about
what it is like being an on-call firefighter and they will also be able to talk you through
the current availability needs of the station and assist you with completion of any
forms.
An application form can be found on our website or by contacting the Recruitment
Team.
For more information about becoming an on-call firefighter please visit
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr, email [email protected]
or call us on 0800 358 0204.
WHAT WILL BEING AN ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER MEAN FOR YOU?
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
PROCESS
11
FIRE STATION LOCATIONS WITHIN LINCOLNSHIRE
Crew Type
On Call
Wholetime and On Call
Official Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue
@lincsfirerescue
www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/lfr