Have you ever thought about becoming a retained (part-time) firefighter? Why not come along to Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (RBFRS) recruitment event and see if you’ve got what it takes!
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. RBFRS is currently recruiting for retained firefighters at the following fire stations:
- Hungerford
- Lambourn
- Pangbourne
- Wargrave
- Mortimer
- Crowthorne
- Maidenhead
The recruitment event is being held on Saturday 6 August and Sunday 7 August at our Training Centre within the grounds of Whitley Wood Fire Station (Whitley Wood Road). Although the event is being held in Reading, it is open to anyone who is interested in becoming a retained firefighter at any of the above fire stations.
You don’t need any specific qualifications or experience to become a retained firefighter, but you must be over 18 years old and have a good standard of fitness. You also need to live or work within around six to eight minutes (times and distance requirements vary for each fire station, please refer to our website for more information) of your local retained fire station* to ensure you can respond to incidents as quickly as possible.
Candidates are invited to attend at 9.30am 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 (NB as the sessions involve fitness tests, candidates are advised to wear comfortable clothing e.g. t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms), written tests and undergo an interview (time permitting).
The purpose of the recruitment event is that we appreciate that most people who decide to become retained firefighters have other employment or responsibilities in the home, so we wanted to make the recruitment process as straightforward as possible. By running the recruitment process over a weekend, we can offer a ‘onestop shop’ for candidates to complete some of the required tests.
Watch Manager Matt Riley, from RBFRS’ Retained Support Unit, said: “We are looking for retained firefighters to work at fire stations across Berkshire, so if it is something that appeals to you, the recruitment event is the perfect opportunity to find out firsthand if it’s the role for you. You don’t necessarily need to book in advance, just turn up at the session that’s most convenient for you on either the Saturday or Sunday.”