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- Wholetime firefighter
Our full-time firefighter recruitment window has now closed
If you’re passionate about making a real difference in your community by preventing and responding to emergencies then being a Firefighter is the career for you.
At Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service we don’t just fight fires and rescue people. In fact, only around five per cent of a Firefighter’s time is spent attending incidents. Firefighters work directly with their communities to prevent fires, deliver safety campaigns to keep people safe from harm, and help children and young people reach their full potential through our Prince’s Trust, fire cadets and Respect programmes.
If you share our core values, we want to hear from you. At Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, we always strive to do the right thing, make a difference, act with compassion and be inclusive. Our Firefighters are people from all walks of life and backgrounds, who enjoy a working environment that is safe, welcoming, positive, respectful and friendly. This shows in our performance. We’re one of the most highly regarded and highly rated fire and rescue services in the country when it comes to our ambitious programme of work in the community and in the way we look after our people.
If you’re hardworking and ambitious, you can enjoy a highly rewarding and varied career as a Firefighter. You will start as an apprentice on £28,265 and once competent in role, you will earn a basic salary of £37,675. We also offer a range of exciting career progression opportunities to develop specialist skills, work in a range of different departments and the opportunity for promotion into leadership roles.
We have a wide range of benefits including Occupational Health, up to 35 days annual leave, flexible working opportunities, free parking, onsite gyms, blue light discounts, access to a range of vibrant staff inclusion networks and social sections, and maternity and adoption leave of up to a year with full pay.
Many people might consider firefighting as a stereotypically male profession. However, we now employ more female Firefighters than ever before, as well as people from a diverse range of ethnicities and cultural backgrounds and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The diversity of our workforce is one of things that makes Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service so special. We want to represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve, so that we can better understand the risks they face and the service they require from us.
No one is given any unfair advantage during the recruitment process, and we assess everyone on merit and their ability to do their job. However, if you feel you genuinely need an adjustment to the recruitment process then please email recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk for advice.
We also run a buddying scheme, to enable you to talk to a friendly firefighter from a background similar to yours and to provide advice on getting through the process. Contact recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk if you feel you would benefit from a buddy.
