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Firefighter

Firefighter Image

Firefighters deal with a wide range of emergency situations, from fires, floods and oil spills to terrorist attacks and road traffic accidents. They also give advice to people and organisations on how to prevent fires and accidents.

The Work

As a wholetime (full time), on call retained, on call volunteer or community response firefighter, you could be:

In addition, and as a firefighter with the Community Response Unit, you could also be:

Pay

As of  July 2023, the salary for a wholetime firefighter starts at £27,178, rising to £28,310 a year after training. This increases to £36,226 a year with experience.

On call retained firefighters receive an annual retaining fee of around £2,718 rising to £3,623 with experience, which is paid quarterly. You would also get paid an hourly rate for attending training nights and call outs.

An airport firefighter earns around £25,000 a year.

Conditions

Workforce Employment Status

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Useful Subjects

Getting In

Firefighters usually work for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), but some are employed at airports and some by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). However, the recruitment process for jobs outwith the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is different. You would need to check the MoD or airport websites for job vacancies and requirements.

Workforce Education Levels (UK)

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Job Outlook Scotland

Employment

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Job Outlook Scotland and UK

  Scotland
2024
5162
0.8 %
FALL
2029
5121
  United Kingdom
2024
42400
1.1 %
RISE
2029
42856

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What Does it Take?

You need to have:

You need to be able to:

Training

Getting On

More Information

We recommend that you do a lot of preparation before you apply. Many applicants do not get past the initial application stage because they have not prepared properly for the selection process. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have practice tests on their website. You can also visit the UK Fire Service Resources website for detailed information on the Services application and selection process.

Video

Courtesy of Norfolk Fire

Contacts

The following organisations may be able to provide further information.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Tel: 0141 646 4500
Website: http://www.firescotland.gov.uk/
Twitter: @fire_scot
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottishFireAndRescueService

UK Fire Service Resources
Website: http://www.fireservice.co.uk
Twitter: @UKFireService
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ukfireandrescue

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