Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is calling for more people to join as retained (part-time) firefighters. If you’re looking for a new challenge, why not come along to our recruitment weekend and see if you’ve got what it takes?
The recruitment event is being held from Saturday, 2 April to Sunday, 3 April between 09.30 and 16.00 at RBFRS’ Training Centre, within the grounds of Whitley Wood Fire Station (Whitley Wood Road, Reading). The event is open to anyone who is interested in becoming a retained firefighter at any of the following fire stations:
- Hungerford
- Lambourn
- Pangbourne
- Wargrave
- Mortimer
- Crowthorne
- Maidenhead
Unlike their wholetime colleagues, retained firefighters are not based on a fire station but instead often have other employment and respond to call-outs via a pager. For this reason, retained firefighters need to be able to reach the retained station within six to eight minutes (times and distance requirements vary for each station, please refer to our website for more information).
Candidates are invited to attend the recruitment event at 09:30 on either the Saturday or Sunday. Each candidate will first be given a briefing by a member of RBFRS’ HR team, before being given the opportunity to take part in fitness testing, written tests and undergo an interview (NB as the sessions involve fitness tests, candidates are advised to wear comfortable clothing e.g. t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms). In addition, they will also have the opportunity to meet firefighters already in the role and to have a tour of the fire station.
Watch Manager Gary Yorke, from RBFRS’ Retained Support Unit, said: “The recruitment event is a great opportunity to find out what the role involves, so why not come along and see if it’s for you? You don’t need any specific qualifications or experience to become a retained firefighter, you just need to be over 18 years old and have a good standard of fitness.
“If you’re interested in attending on either of the dates, then just drop us an email to register your interest!”
To register your interest in either of the events, please email: recruitment@rbfrs.co.uk
For more information on what the selection tests entail, please the careers section of our website.