What is the role of a On-Call Firefighter?

On-Call Firefighters are skilled individuals who come from a wide variety of backgrounds  - they include teachers, farmers, administrators and stay at home parents.

However, they also provide evening, daytime or weekend cover to help protect the communities in which they live or work. 

They are ordinary people who give up their spare time to do an extraordinary job.

They are ready to go out to a call the moment a message comes through on their pager - they could be at home or working elsewhere, either for themselves or for someone else in a variety of different roles. 

They are fully trained, highly skilled personnel who are committed to saving lives and property from fire and other emergency situations. 

They are also actively involved in the prevention of fire, particularly in the home.

A key part of the role is to undertake home safety checks, offering free advice to residents on how to eliminate or reduce the risk of fire.

Our On-Call Firefighters are dedicated members of a close-knit, highly trained team working with modern, hi-tech equipment - they are committed to a professional career path with support to be able to develop and reach their full potential within the fire and rescue service.

Watch this video to find out more:

Have you got what it takes to become an On-Call Firefighter for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service?

• Are you aged 18 or over?
• Do you live or work within 5 minutes travelling time of a retained fire station?
• Do you have a good level of all round fitness?
• Are you looking for an exciting spare time opportunity?
• Are you interested in protecting your community?
• Are you genuinely interested in people?
• Can you get on with people from different backgrounds and cultures?
• Do you have or could you commit to having basic Welsh language courtesy skills? (Full support and training would be provided if needed to achieve this.)
• Do you want to work as part of a close knit team?
• Can you work under pressure?
• Can you think on your feet and solve problems when you know a lot depends on the suggestion you come up with?
• Do you have the sensitivity to deal with members of the public when they are distressed, confused or being obstructive?
• Can you take responsibility for representing the Service when you are at work and when you are not?
• Are you committed to always maintaining and developing your skills?
• Are you prepared to study to develop and expand your skills?
• Are you prepared for the demands of working in a disciplined uniformed service in which you will have to take orders from other people?
• Can you accept the need to keep to rules that tell you what you can and cannot wear?
• Are you committed to maintaining your health and physical fitness?
• Is regular exercise part of your everyday life?
• Are you a practical person who likes to work with your hands/equipment?
• Do you enjoy making things or finding out how things work?
• Are you someone who can always be relied on to be somewhere on time?
• Are you someone that others see as dependable?
• Are you prepared to work outside in all types of weather, when it is wet and cold?

If you answered 'Yes' to ALL of the above, and you think that you have what it takes to serve and protect the community you live or work in, it is likely that you are exactly what we need!

We are looking for enthusiastic people who can demonstrate commitment and dedication, to join our teams of On-Call Firefighters across North Wales and we are keen to recruit those who represent the diverse community that we serve.

 
What level of commitment is required?

On-Call Firefighters agree to be available for cover for a certain number of hours a week, they carry a pager and must be able to get to the fire station within 5 minutes of a call during their agreed available hours.

Many respond to emergency calls from home and others, with agreement from their employers, respond from their place of work. In addition to providing on-call hours, on-call firefighters are required to attend drill nights once a week. Drill nights last for three hours and this time is used to develop skills and training.

Their role calls for courage, determination, self-motivation and above all a desire to protect the community in which they live and work. On-call firefighters are valued highly by the local communities in which they serve.

They must possess a good standard of physical fitness and have the ability to pass aptitude tests.

Read the on-call firefighter Recruitment Information Booklet.