Job market information
Finding out about fire and rescue service
The fire and rescue service is part of the justice sector, which is represented by Skills for Justice Sector Skills Council. It includes: forensic science; prosecution service; courts and tribunals; custodial care; community justice; plus police and law enforcement. The UK justice sector works to create and maintain a safe, just and stable society. The purpose of the sector is to reduce crime and re‐offending, promote confidence in the criminal justice system, protect people and contribute to the reduction and fear of crime, and support the administration of justice. The sector employs around 600,000 employees in the UK across a range of organisations operating with different remits.
The Fire and Rescue Service in England, Wales and Scotland are based around local structures. In Northern Ireland, there is one single service. The service is an operational fire fighting body providing the following services:
- Community Fire Safety – covers a range of initiatives that are aimed at reducing the number of fires and the number of deaths and injuries caused by fire.
- Fire and Rescue Emergency Response – responds to incidents and makes sure that the risk of injury, loss of life and damage to property is minimised.
- Emergency Planning – services that plan and prepare for large scale emergencies, such as, for example, large rail crashes, coastal pollution and severe floods.
- Fire and rescue services for particular organisations requiring on‐site services, such as: British Airports Authority Fire Service; Defence Fire and Rescue Sector; Private and industrial Fire and Rescue Services; Nuclear sites; Ports; Event fire safety services; and Fire services protecting royal properties.
Key facts:
- In total, there are approximately 74,228 people working in fire and rescue services, of which:
- 71,428 people in local authority Fire and Rescue Services
- 870 people in Civil Airport Fire Services
- 1,750 people in Ministry of Defence Fire Service
- In addition, there are an unspecified number of employed in occupational brigades provided by, and to protect, private companies, such as those in the nuclear and petroleum industries.
- In England, there are:
- 30,580 full‐time fire fighters, a decreased of 3.9% since 2004
- 11,744 retained duty system fire fighters (in 24‐hour units of cover)
- 1,522 fire control staff
- 7,800 non‐uniformed staff
- There can be on average 150 applicants for each post.
- Women across the justice sector as a whole tend to be concentrated in support roles.
Jobs in the industry range from: Firefighter, Retained duty Firefighter, Fire control operators, Crew manager, Watch manager.
Entry and progression
There are basic eligibility requirements to become a Firefighter, such as a minimum age and a good general education and GCSE or equivalent passes in English, Mathematics and a science subject are particularly useful. Applicants need to be physically and mentally able to undertake duties, so will have to undergo written and physical exams as well as complete a medical history. Each fire service recruits independently, following national fire service recruitment procedures. New recruits take part in a full‐time induction training programme, which will introduce fire safety standards and protective measures, fire prevention and safety education work. This lasts between 12 and 16 weeks (18 weeks in Northern Ireland). Within the Fire and Rescue Services, the main routes for progression are through interview and Assessment and Development Centres (ADCs).
Fire control operators need to be at least 18 years old to apply, with at least GCSE English Grade C, keyboard skills and proven experience of working and coping with stress. Entrants will have to complete a two‐year probationary period, training and development following a programme at NVQ Level 3.
General fire and rescue staff are employed in a variety of other roles, such as administration, stores, mechanics, IT and radio technicians, cooks, cleaners and driving staff. Application process and requirements are dependent on the particular role.
Some Fire and Rescue Services also operate direct entry recruitment processes to managerial operational roles (this is particularly the case in England and Wales). There is a range of industry endorsed courses, foundation degrees, vocational qualifications and training schemes.
For job specific entry requirements, take a look at our job profiles.
Workforce statistics
| Number of UK employees: |
74,228 |
|---|
| There are limited data available with an equal opportunities dimension, in England: |
|---|
| Full‐time and retained duty Firefighters are mostly male and white. |
| 96.7% of operational personnel are male. |
| The proportion of female Firefighters has increased from 2.4% in 2004 to 3.3% in 2008. |
| Age: |
|---|
| 8% of people are aged 16-24 years. |
| 25% are aged 25-34 years. |
| 30% are aged 35-44 years. |
| 25% are aged 45-54 years. |
| 11% are aged 55-64 years. |
| 1% are 65 years plus. |
| Certain roles in the justice sector, such as police and prison officers, have a minimum age requirement of 18 years and 30 year retirement schemes. |
| Employment: |
87% of the justice sector workforce is employed full-time. |
|---|
[N.B. Data for Justice sector does not include fire service activities. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2007‐2008.]
Employment trends and future prospects
Across the justice sector as a whole, there is a forecasted need for 136,000 people from 2007‐2017. In the longer term, government spending on Public Administration and Defence is expected to increase at a lower rate than the economy as a whole. Pressures to restrain government expenditure and cut costs mean increased productivity and efficiency will be essential to the sector. A key element of the government’s strategy to increase efficiency and to direct more staff to front‐line delivery of services is the efficient and effective use of technology.
Over the 2007/08, there were 45,378 applications to join the Fire Service in England, of which an estimated 7% were successful. There is a very low staff turnover in the services. Recruitment difficulties are mainly centred on the attracting of diverse applicants to the Fire and Rescue Services across the UK, with targets in place to drive up the representation of women and ethnic minorities.
Skill requirements and shortages
There is frequently a shortage of operational skills in the form of ‘retained’ (part‐time) Firefighters, especially in small towns and rural areas. Additionally, there are challenges with recruiting and retaining applicants from Black Minority Ethnic backgrounds.
Occupational trends
Due to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, growth in the public administration (this includes the judicial activities and police and fire services) is likely to be around 1% per year to 2017. Declines are expected to be in administrative, clerical and secretarial roles, but increases in management and professional roles.
Justice sector occupational distribution
| Managers and Senior Officials |
9% |
|---|
| Professional Occupations |
8% |
|---|
| Associate Professional and Technical |
54% |
|---|
| Administrative and Secretarial |
18% |
|---|
| Skilled Trades Occupations |
1% |
|---|
| Personal Service Occupations |
1% |
|---|
| Sales and Customer Service Occupations |
* |
|---|
| Process, Plant and Machine Operatives |
* |
|---|
| Elementary Occupations |
7% |
|---|
[N.B. Data does not include fire service activities. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2007‐2008.]
National and regional data
The East Midlands has 5 fire and rescue services.
The East of England has 6 fire and rescue services.
London has one fire and rescue service, the London Fire Brigade.
The North East has 4 fire and rescue services.
The North West has 5 fire and rescue services.
The South East has 9 fire and rescue services.
The South West has 6 fire and rescue services.
The West Midlands has 5 fire and rescue services.
Yorkshire and Humberside has 4 fire and rescue services.
The Fire and Rescue Service in Northern Ireland (NIFRS) is divided into four area commands, which are supported by 14 Districts. There are 68 fire stations across Northern Ireland. The workforce comprises:
- 901 full‐time Firefighters
- 980 retained Firefighters
- 12 volunteer Firefighters
- 59 regional control staff
- 218 non‐uniformed support staff
- 53 part‐time caretakers
Similarly to the rest of the UK, the NIFRS has a gender imbalance in the makeup of the force, with a strong bias towards male employment.
Scotland has 7,538 people employed in 8 fire and rescue services, of which only two remain under unitary control and the others under joint boards. The 8 fire and rescue services vary widely in size and structure, reflecting the nature of their different areas. The workforce comprises:
- 3,586 full‐time Firefighters, of which 3,470 are male and 116 are female
- 2,514 retained Firefighters, of which 2,368 are male and 146 are female
- 326 volunteer Firefighters, of which 284 are male and 42 are female
- 205 control room staff, of which 23 are male and 182 are female
- 907 non‐uniformed support staff, of which 363 are male and 544 are female
Across all job roles, only 51 are occupied by Black Ethnic Minority staff. As with the Fire Service across the UK, there are challenges around attracting diverse groups to enter the service.
Wales has 4,422 people employed in the 3 Welsh Fire and Rescue Service Authority areas. There were 1,956 applications received in Wales in 2006/07, of which women accounted for 19% of all successful applications whilst people from ethnic minority backgrounds accounted for 1.8%. The workforce comprises:
- 1,671 full‐time Firefighters, of which 3% are female
- 1,978 retained Firefighters, of which 4% are female
- 128 control room staff, of which 82% are female
- 645 non‐uniformed support staff, of which 58% are female
Salary levels
In fire and rescue services, salary ranges:
- Firefighters – between £21,157 and £28,199
- Crew managers – between £29,971 and £31,263
- Station Managers – between £36,365 and £40,109
- Retained duty Firefighters are paid a fee, which can be around £2,500 a year. They also receive additional payments, according to their rank, for each incident they attend and for any extra duties they carry out.
- Fire control operator – starting at £18,019, rising to £22,524 with experience
- Leading Fire Control Operator – around £24,121
- Senior Fire Control Operator – between £24,741 and £25,678
Career paths
Further sources
Produced Sept 2010, using Skills for Justice AACS LMI report (Jun 2010)
