On-Call (RDS) Firefighter Recruits

Before starting your application, you must attend your local station on a drill night and ask the Watch Manager to review the availability sheet with you. Once you have both agreed on the hours you can work, you will need to upload the signed form as part of your application.

Your local fire station is currently looking for ordinary people that can combine their day job with being on-call and provide cover for Fire and Rescue situations and emergencies. We are looking for those that can offer all cover.

On-Call Firefighters carry alerters when on duty and MUST be at the fire station, ready to turn out within 5 minutes of the alerter sounding, travelling at normal road speeds, typically from home, friends, relatives or their place of work.

The minimum hours required to become an On-Call Firefighter is 31 hours per week (hpw) or an average of 31 hpw over any given period. If you work a shift pattern or varied hours in your primary employment this can usually be accommodated. Whilst the hours are fairly flexible depending on the station’s needs, you would need to be available to respond for a minimum of 31 hpw. This doesn’t mean that you are working for 31 hpw, you just need to be available should we need you.

The number of hours that you are able to provide will be reflected in your retaining rate (part of your salary). We have four pay bands:

• AB2 – 31-60 hours per week
• AB3 – 61-90 hours per week
• AB4 – 91-119 hours per week
• AB5 – 120 hours per week

You are also required to attend a drill night once a week. This usually lasts between 2 – 3 hours, these are held at your community fire station as follows:

• Monday evenings at 18.45: Forest Row, Uckfield, Hailsham, Herstmonceux, Heathfield, Pevensey, Wadhurst
• Tuesday evenings at 18.45: Battle, Bexhill, Broad Oak, Burwash, Rye
• Wednesday evenings at 18.45: Seaford, Newhaven, Barcombe

You would train with the team and learn to maintain any equipment. These hours would form part of your minimum requirement of 31 hpw.

During the application process you will be asked to detail the hours of availability you can provide; these hours will form part of your contractual hours at the recruitment stage.

It's a huge commitment, but an immensely rewarding way to serve the community, keep the public safe and earn an extra income.

An on-call firefighter is someone who responds to a range of fire and rescue service jobs; these range from emergency calls, working at open days, carrying out work with their local communities and acting as an ambassador for the fire service.

On-call firefighters come from every walk of life, including homemakers, shopkeepers, builders, farmers, office workers and directors of companies, together with people who are not currently employed. Over 90% of On-call firefighters in East Sussex do their firefighting work alongside their day job. Full training is provided on an ongoing basis, therefore previous experience is not needed.

Requirements:

• Be over 17.5 years of age at the time of application (we are unable to employ anyone under the age of 18).
• Have a strong desire to support the local community.
• Be enthusiastic about working as part of a team.
• Be willing to uphold the ESFRS values.
• Have a good level of personal fitness.
• You will be required to be clean shaven for Health & Safety reasons, to ensure your Breathing Apparatus has a complete seal.

The on-call duty system is one of three Duty Systems (alongside Shift and Day Crewed) that combine to provide operational fire cover across the County of East Sussex. All firefighters in East Sussex are trained to respond to the same incidents and on-call Firefighters are not a secondary or backup service. They are an integral part of the county’s fire cover and enable us to crew more fire appliances in some of the more rural and remote areas of the county.

Competent (fully qualified) On-call Firefighters are paid an annual retaining fee of up to £5,832+, plus an hourly rate of up to £17.75 for any work undertaken for the Service, including responding to incidents and training. Time spent on-call but not working is not paid at an hourly rate. Annual earnings will depend on how much cover can be offered, the level of training and how often on-call firefighters get called out. The average earned by on-call firefighters in East Sussex in 2024 was between £5,000 and £7,000.

For more information about the role of an On-Call Firefighter and the application process please visit our website, or pop down to your local station on a drill night.

You will be contracted to be on call during the hours that you have agreed to provide cover and will therefore need to remain within 5 minutes of the Fire Station during those times, although there will be some flexibility for ad-hoc changes to be agreed with Station Management.

The initial training will comprise of two induction weekends, a two week Core Skills Course (Monday to Friday) and an RTC weekend. Once you have successfully completed these elements you will be able to ride a fire appliance, though in a limited capacity. Once you have completed the initial training you will become a Firefighter in Development and will be placed on the Firefighter (On-call) Development Programme, which is accredited through Skills for Justice. On completion of the Development Programme you will be deemed as a competent firefighter. We would anticipate that this process would take approximately 2 years, but completion times will vary according to the individual.

There will be further training within 12 months of completing the Core Skills Course as follows:

• Safe Working at Height Course - 2 days spaced 6 weeks apart
• Water Basic course - 2 days
• Breathing Apparatus (BA) Readiness Course - 1 day
• Initial BA Wearers Course - Two weeks (Monday to Friday)
• 2 ½ hour Drill nights on your station each week
• 4 hours per month theoretical training

There will be regular fitness tests on station during drill nights to ensure your fitness levels do not drop between attendance on the Core Skills Course and attendance on the BA Course.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service value diversity and recognise that different people bring different experiences, ideas, knowledge and culture and that this difference brings great strength. We aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our communities across East Sussex and Brighton and Hove and would like to encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds who share our values and want to make a difference to the community.

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service welcomes applications from all suitably qualified individuals including those who may not have considered a career in the fire and rescue service before. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability or neurodiversity.

Our Service Purpose is: Reducing Risk, Saving Lives – Together. We do this through our Service Priorities:

• Delivering our community offer
• Delivering our enabling offer
• Achieving financial sustainability
• Sustaining a high performing workforce
• Improving service performance

Our Service Values support our purpose and priorities by making sure the way we operate is guided by strong principles:

• We willingly accept ACCOUNTABILITY, taking responsibility for our actions and decisions.
• We have PRIDE in the service we provide, striving to meet the needs of our communities.
• We demonstrate PERSEVERANCE in the face of challenges, staying committed and resilient in everything we do.
• We RESPECT our colleagues and members of the community.
• We embrace ADAPTABILITY, responding positively to change and continuously seek to improve the way we work.
• We show INTEGRITY in our work, being open and honest.
• We act with SELFLESSNESS, recognising we are here to protect and support our communities.
• We foster a positive and inclusive culture where teamwork, mutual respect and a shared commitment to service are at the heart of everything we do.
• We show EMPATHY to the community and our colleagues, treating everyone with kindness, compassion and understanding.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and suppliers to share this commitment.

Please note that all roles at East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service will be subject to either DBS checks or a Police vetting process. The check will take place for the preferred candidate at the end of the selection process, before a final offer of employment can be made. Please note that recruitment processes may be withdrawn or varied at short notice due to the Services' Organisational Change policy.