A recruitment drive for community (Part-Time) firefighters in 28 Fire Stations across Northern Ireland has been launched by the Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS).
The role of Community Firefighters is to help protect the local community and respond to emergency incidents including fires, road traffic collisions and other specialist service calls such as chemical spills, collapsed buildings and other types of rescues.
They also play a crucial role in providing safety advice and assistance in the local community.
Group Commander NIFRS, Brian Stanfield, said, “Simply put, NIFRS could not operate without our Community Firefighters as they provide the emergency fire and rescue services to local towns and villages across Northern Ireland,”
“It is an extremely rewarding and interesting job. Community Firefighters must be able to quickly respond to emergency call-outs by making their way to the Fire Station within 5 minutes, where they will meet the rest of their crew.
“Local employers have an equally important role to play in the success of the Community Firefighter system by allowing their employees to become Community Firefighters. Hundreds of local employers across Northern Ireland employ Community Firefighters, benefiting by having someone on site who has developed a wide range of skills and experience including the ability to work as part of a team. NIFRS greatly appreciates the support of local employers in helping provide the best possible fire and rescue service.”
The NIFRS is looking to recruit people who can respond to a range of 28 Fire Stations across Northern Ireland within 5 minutes of being alerted by pager. You can find the list of Fire Stations here.
“Community Firefighters are paid a retaining fee, emergency call-out payments and a payment to attend a weekly drill night which is 2 hours per week in the evening. Community Firefighters are trained to the highest standards and take part in 12 days training each year to ensure we have the most highly skilled Firefighters to help protect our local communities,” Mr Stanfield explained.
Applicants’ availability to respond to calls is critical to this role and they will need to be available for a minimum of 100 hours each week. There are core periods of time during which Community Firefighters must be available and this includes some hours during weekends.
Full details of the availability requirements are set out in the candidate pack.
Recruitment Information nights are being held at each of the 28 Fire Stations. Candidates can apply online and download application packs from the NIFRS website – www.nifrs.org/careers
The closing date is Friday 10th August at 3.00pm.