Any Fireman here

bakes0310

bakes0310

bakes0310

Soldato
Joined
22 Oct 2004
Posts
13,847
Im thinking of trying the fire service after xmas, i was just wondering what i have to do to start. Ive looked on the devon and somerset fireservice site and it looks like you got to wait for a recruitment date. And apparently i missed one not long ago, and the one before that was 6 years ago:eek::(
Anyway does anyone know what i got to do, im gonna phone them up on monday to see what they say.
Im willing to work partime to get my foot in the door if i have to. So really info would be great.
 
Im considering this and it looks rather looooong

From what I understand you can do the retained service which is in your spare time, you need to pop down to your local station and chat to the station manager there who can register your interest.

You have to tell them how often you are avail and you get put into a group which, obviously they want people who are avail more often and not just someone who can do the bare minimum.

Doing the retained I think you have to live within 4mins of the station so this kind of narrows it down a lot! I for one am not close enough to do this.

They dont recruit full time very often I dont think usually as obviously people doing retained might want to go for it and they already have the experience.

That website posted up there really has all the info you need, also check our your local station and see when they have the drill nights so you can pop down.

Something I reaaaally want to do myself :)
 
sweeeeet

Did you do retained first or go full time right away?
If you did retained how long was that for?
How difficult are the tests you have to do?
What made you want to do it? Still enjoy it now?
 
I'd only advise not to get your hopes up - thats not to say you shouldn't try your hardest.

I knew about 5 guys who went for firefighter positions down here. The positions had a stupid amount of applicants (think it was thousands).

Each one of these friends were guys I thought would make great firefighters (although i'm sure my criteria might be quite different from the fire services' :p ).

Only one made it past the 1st interview.

Good luck though!

(Say you are gay and ethnic in your application - get a head start :p )
 
R5Rich said:
sweeeeet

Did you do retained first or go full time right away?
If you did retained how long was that for?
How difficult are the tests you have to do?
What made you want to do it? Still enjoy it now?
Click to expand...

Full time.

The tests are difficult especially things like hose running if you've never done them before. If you get past the first stage which will be an application form get yourself down to your local station for a bit of information and ask if it would be possible to practice.
Everyone I know in the job had some inside knowledge before they joined from relatives / friends or just going down and asking.

It's a fantastic job, pay is around 30k, very rewarding, great shift and leave system and it's a great crack having a laugh with all your mates.
 
Only thing I ever wanted to be growing up. Applied 14 years ago when I was 19. Passed the written and fitness exams and was actually told that my vo2 max and bleep test results were amongst the best they had seen for some years.

The next stage was to pass the practical tests and the one I was concerned about was the test for your reaction to heights. On the day, this was the next but last test and I breezed it (well it wasn't exactly a breeze but I faced it)! However, I made the mistake of thinking I'd secured the job!

The final test involved a set of cages with 2 levels that was set out like a maze of tunnels. Suited and booted, complete with breathing aparatus they filled the room with smoke and I was required to move a heavy fabric dummy from point a to point b within this maze construction in under 2 and a half minutes. You can't see a thing and all you have to guide you is a piece of rope that follows the route. I made the mistake of doing this test too quickly and somehow managed to turn back on myself and came out the way I went in!

I actually thought that I had passed the test with ease and was shocked when they told me I had failed and then proceeded to escort me from the site!

The guy who escorted me from my failure that day said to me that everyone was gutted for me as they had high hopes for me following my written and fitness results, he also told me that I must apply again at the very next opportunity and that a very small percentage of applicants get through at the first time of asking.

I actually still beat myself up over my failure that day and still cannot explain how I managed to mess it up. However, I never did apply again (a fear of failing again probably played a part) but I suppose that is also down to my career taking a different turn soon after. However, being totally honest I now know enough about myself to understand that I'm not cut out emotionally to deal with seeing children etc suffering in the manner that you will face in this job.
 
Thats quite harsh Yozz :(

Chipperhead how many attempts did it take you/how long did you have to wait for oppurtunity to come?
 
First time, I was 22 and I'll be retiring at 52 :)
I was doing a boring office job when I heard they were recruiting, I knew a Firefighter so got loads of help.
I'm back at work in morning, we'll no doubt be facing a few challenges with all this snow.
 
I'll try to answer any more questions that crop up.

I was accepted on my first attempt at applying although the entire process managed to take two years. First step was the application form which included five 750 word essays on various aspects of my suitability for the job, previous work experience, intrerests, etc.

After this came the written tests which I sailed through and some time later came the physical tests which involved rolling out (and rolling up) 30m lengths of hose and trust me, after doing that 15 times there where more than a few lads who had emptied the contents of their guts onto the drillyard.

More tests where done for vertigo and claustrophobia which included my personal favourite, manipulating your way through a mock house, filled with smoke and 'rescuing' a 12 stone dummy. I was so hyped up by the end that when I got to the last door, which had a table across the opening, I simply threw the dummy out the door and dived across the table after it. I got a bit of a ticking off for casualty handling.

I also faced the same cage trial as Yozz, although my brief was to manipulate my way through the cages to a leaking gas valve. Sounds easy enough but try doing it with a blacked out visor on your BA set and a series of ever decreasing pipes. I was literally dragging myself through the last pipe by my fingertips, it was a tight squeeze even for my skinny 12 stone frame (sadly not as skinny twelve years later).

The final stage was an interview session (a proper grilling) and a final medical exam which was to cause all the drama. The nurse conducting the exam wasn't too happy about my eyes as they where puffy and red. She attributed this to some sort of eye defect which would exempt me from the Fire Service and it took a hell of a lot of arguing to make her see sense. Ten hours of work in a smoke filled club the night before was all that was wrong with my eyes. Talk about a heart in mouth moment.

Anyhoo, twelve years later and I still love the job and the camaraderie with the rest of the guys. This job is not for everyone and you will be faced with things that may not be to your liking but you just have to get on with it. There are lows but the highs are there too and they more than make up for the lows.
 
I tried to get in some years back, made the final interview two years running and after having been lied to during the second years selection process decided I no longer wanted anything to do with them :(
 
[TW]Fox;15561084 said:
Nothing but respect for people who do this job :)
Click to expand...

Would just like to echo this.

If I could join, I would. Tough, but rewarding - that's the sort of career I'm after.
 
Wow didn't quite realise how long the process can be!

Don't they like to take on retained firefighters over others first?

Not really sure how to approach it, I dont live close enough for the retained service so that is not an option at the minute anyway. They dont take your name either do they for when a job is avail?
 
regulus said:
Or becoming a personal trainer. I remember him being on about that a month ago in Sports.
Click to expand...

I left the army as it was not for me and ended up back at the job i wanted to get away from for 4 years.
Now i just dont know what to do im just havent got a clue what i want to go for anymore.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom