On-Call Firefighting

The UK fire and rescue service has 52 services across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Each service has a mixture of office-based and operational employees. Operational employees work under different contracts to ‘crew’ a fire station, which includes full-time firefighters, on-call firefighters (also known as retained firefighters in some services), and volunteers.

On-call firefighters play a critical role in keeping their communities safe. They respond to emergencies when needed, often managing their on-call work alongside full-time jobs, family commitments, and other activities. They are the backbone of many fire and rescue services in both cities and rural areas.

Not all fire and rescue services have on-call stations, so please check whether your local service has stations that need on-call personnel.

What is an on-call firefighter?

An on-call firefighter serves their local fire and rescue station on a part-time basis, saving lives and protecting those within the communities. As part of a team, your role can include attending emergency calls, working at your local fire and rescue service open days, and working as an ambassador for the fire and rescue service within your community.

A firefighter’s role is not only to fight fires or to react to other emergencies. Firefighters also deliver important safety advice to schools and communities, which can include conducting Fire Safety Checks for homes and businesses.

As an on-call firefighter, you will learn new skills, become part of a close-knit team, and earn money around your existing employment and commitments, all whilst making a difference within your community.

To be an on-call firefighter you will need to commit to the time you can dedicate to on-call firefighting. This could be during the night, at weekends, during the day, or a combination of all. Additionally, you must be able to dedicate time for essential training within the first few years with the service.

The hours you are on call can vary to suit your personal and professional circumstances; many fit their on-call duties around full-time jobs and childcare commitments. It’s a flexible role that is both rewarding and challenging.

On-call firefighters provide cover when at home or work , which can be made up of full days or part of the day or night that fits around their primary commitments. Please visit your local fire and rescue service for further details. They also attend the station weekly for training.

Could this be you?

Learn new skills

You’ll learn everything you need to know about firefighting through robust and continuous training.

Why are on-call firefighters needed?

On-call firefighters are a vital part of today’s fire and rescue service. They provide an effective, efficient service that covers emergencies across more than 90% of the United Kingdom. Fire and rescue services actively recruit people from within their communities who can respond on an on-call basis at certain locations.

This can be challenging in smaller towns and rural areas because the number of people living and working within small communities has reduced in recent years. On-call firefighters are a crucial and highly valued asset to fire and rescue services and their communities.

Who can be an on-call firefighter?

Anyone can become an on-call firefighter if they have the right values, a desire to serve their community, and can achieve the right entry level. On-Call firefighters are like any other paid employee working in the fire and rescue service and come from all areas of the community. You could, for example, be a stay-at-home parent, in full or part-time employment, working for yourself, studying at your local college or university, or not currently employed.

You don’t need any previous firefighting experience, just the passion to protect and help your community. A good level of fitness is key, but this is something most people can develop beforehand.

On-call firefighters require effective communication skills together with personal skills such as self-motivation, reliability, flexibility, determination, commitment, enthusiasm, and the ability to work within a team. They also need to be able to reflect the core values and behaviours set out by their fire and rescue service.

Many employers are prepared to release on-call firefighters from their workplace to attend an emergency incident. Other on-call firefighters are self-employed, or simply have time available to help serve and protect their community. When firefighters are on-call and their pager sounds, they need to be able to stop whatever they are doing and report immediately to their fire station.

What happens after your alert goes off?

Go to fire station

Unlike full-time firefighters, on-call firefighters are not based at a fire station 24 hours a day. This means that if a call comes in during their agreed coverage period, you must reach the station within a set time to respond to it. Usually, this period is set to within a short timeframe of receiving the alert, although this can vary between fire and rescue services.

Respond to emergency

Once you get to the station, you’ll kit up, get in the fire engine, and respond to the emergency.

Interested in hearing more about what it’s like to be an on-call firefighter?

There’s nothing like learning more from those who do the work day in and day out.

Listen to real stories from real on-call firefighters

Ready to learn more? Follow these links:

Eligibility and Benefits

Learn more about what you need to know and do before becoming an on-call firefighter.

Guide for Employers

This guide can help employers better understand the implications and expectations when staff express an interest in on-call firefighting.

FAQs

Find the answers to your firefighting questions, and get in touch with your local service for more information!

Find your local fire service

Lots of information will be unique to the Fire Service nearest you. It’s best to reach out to them to learn more.