Caring firefighters sought in service’s recruitment drive
Full-time posts advertised for first time in 10 years
For the first time in a decade a recruitment drive has been launched to find new full-time firefighters for Kent.
The last time vacancies were advertised for full-time firefighting careers was in 2007, shortly after Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) CEO Ann Millington took up her role.
Since then the service has used on-call teams to respond to emergencies across the county.
Ms Millington put the longterm “job drought” down to cost savings by the service.
But it was a principle of the organisation, she said, to manage that reduction without having to make anyone redundant, but instead to see staff leave “within a natural time”.
The 20-25 new roles will be open to those aged 18 and over, with the service looking for a broad range of skills and backgrounds.
Applications opened this week and will run until Monday.
Kent Fire and Rescue has seen its work change dramatically over recent years, with firefighters now having to attend welfare and medical response calls, as well as moving towards more preventative projects and initia- tives within Kent’s communities and schools.
Watch manager Vicki Board has been working for KFRS for 15 years.
She said the role of the service has “completely changed” in her time there, with firefighters now attending fewer fire-related incidents.
Applicants must be prepared to attend mud rescues, road traffic collisions, chemical incidents, and a wide range of other callouts.
Though new recruits will still need to be physically fit, Ms Board added that the role now demanded a more caring and supportive approach too, and that the ‘stereotypical firefighter look’ was seen as a thing of the past.
Once applications close after two weeks, successful recruits will take part in a variety of tests later in the year, including those for physical fitness, literacy and numeracy.
Their induction to the role of full-time firefighter will then start around September.