A series of female focused ‘Have a Go’ events has been organised to encourage more women to consider a career as a firefighter.
The events are being run at Whitley Wood Training Centre in Reading. Each event includes a tour of the fire station and an opportunity to try physical and written tests similar to those they would need to perform during recruitment and training. Our firefighters and fitness advisors will also all be on hand to offer advice and support.
The first events were held on 27 April 2019 and Saturday, 25 May 2019, but you can still sign up for the event on Saturday, 29 June 2019.
Each event has a maximum capacity, and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To register please email recruitment@rbfrs.co.uk and further information, including timings for the events will be provided.
It is hoped that by providing an overview of the recruitment process and support, more women will consider applying to become either wholetime or on-call firefighters. Although the recruitment window is not currently open for wholetime firefighters, it is expected that in the coming months there will be opportunities to apply for the role.
Although women make up a significant proportion of support and Control roles, they are under-represented in operational roles and RBFRS would like more women to apply so that its workforce can better reflect the community they serve.
Alternatively, all applicants can attend Have a Go events on the following dates:
- 8 June 2019, Mortimer Fire Station.
- 27 July 2019, Lambourn Fire Station.
- 21 September 2019, Wargrave Fire Station.
- 16 November 2019, Wargrave Fire Station.
- 7 December 2019, Hungerford Fire Station.
What are the events like?
Below are the experiences of some of those who attended the event on 27 April:
“I just wanted to send you and the team a thank you message for all your effort shown in Saturday’s recruitment day! It was so well organised and everyone there was so positive and helpful. It has given me such a great insight in to what will be expected on the day of the assessment and it was perfect for me to gauge my fitness levels and what I need to work on over the next few weeks! The staff were all so enthusiastic and are a credit to the service – thank you so much for such a well run day! (And the cakes were very well received too – thank you!!)”