Being a firefighter is not for the faint-hearted — it’s a challenging and rewarding career that will push you to your limits, testing your resilience both physically and mentally like never before.
You’ll need exceptional mental strength to handle high-pressure, often tragic situations with professionalism and composure. The role comes with the commitment of working shifts that include nights, evenings, weekends, and public holidays — even Christmas and New Year.
Firefighting also demands endurance, drive, and unshakable determination. Picture yourself searching through debris for hours or enduring harsh outdoor conditions, whether it’s tackling a blazing fire or responding to a road traffic collision at 3 am on a freezing winter night. It’s a job that keeps you on your toes, no matter the weather or the circumstances.
At times, despite your best efforts, the outcome may not be what you’d hoped for. This can be difficult for anyone to process, but that’s why we have robust welfare support systems in place. We’re committed to helping our teams navigate these challenging moments and offer whatever support is needed after particularly difficult incidents.
Still interested? Fantastic! While the role comes with its challenges, many will tell you it’s the most rewarding job in the world.
As a firefighter at Avon Fire & Rescue Service, you have the opportunity to progress your career and develop your skillset and there are so many opportunities to learn and develop.
There is so much variation to the role, each day you will be faced with something different. You can progress with promotion, but you can also diversify your role and become a specialist in…
- Urban Search and Rescue
- Water rescue
- Fire investigation
- Rope rescue
And so much more…
Our pay and benefits
| Role | Salary |
|---|---|
| Firefighter (Trainee) | 28,265 |
| Firefighter (Development) | 29,442 |
| Firefighter (Competent) | 37,675 |
| Crew Manager | 40,041 – 41,767 |
| Watch Manager | 42,672 – 46,707 |
| Station Manager | 48,580 – 53,586 |
| Group Manager | 55,953 – 62,028 |
| Area Manager | 65,690 – 72,054 |
Benefits include: Pension scheme, a very competitive maternity and paternity package, interest free loans, training opportunities.
Firefighter training
If you’re successful in your application to become a wholetime firefighter and you receive a job offer, you will be invited into a 12-week intensive firefighting course. You will also be enrolled into a Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship, it is expected that this will take around 24 months to complete.
You can read more about the apprenticeship via this link: Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship. Further details will be provided at the job offer stage.
Our shift patterns work well around other commitments
Firefighters have found that the work patterns allow for a better work-life balance
- Shift 1: 08:00 – 17:00 (day)
- Shift 2: 08:00 – 17:00 (day)
- Shift 3: 17:00 – 08:00 (night)
- Shift 4: 17:00 – 08:00 (night)
- 4 days off duty
Essential criteria
- You must live in one of the areas covered by Avon Fire & Rescue Service (Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset or South Gloucestershire). You must reside at the given address and proof of this will be required at each stage of the selection process.
- You must be aged 18 or over when the training school starts.
- You must be physically fit and have good upper body strength.
- You don’t need any particular qualifications to become a firefighter.
- If you hold a full UK driving licence, you must have no more than 3 points on your licence. Please note that whilst owning a full UK driving licence is not part of our mandatory criteria, the expectation is that if you do not possess a full UK driving licence, then you will need to achieve this within your probationary period. You cannot become a competent firefighter without this.
- The job of a modern firefighter is far more diverse and varied than you might realise.
If you ask most people what the role of a firefighter entails, a common answer would be ‘putting out fires’ and although that is a really important part of the role – firefighting involves so much more, including:
Preventing
A huge part of our work is focused on providing advice to local people about how they can keep themselves safe. It’s often said that prevention is better than cure which is why our firefighters spend a considerable amount of time visiting people’s homes, businesses and schools educating and providing fire safety advice. This type of work has and continues to play a huge part in reducing the number of people who are killed in fires each year.
Protecting
We also take steps to keep people safe through our work in areas such as fire safety. This part of our role includes making sure businesses are meeting their legal responsibilities to reduce risk to members of the public and taking necessary action where they don’t.
Responding
When a member of the public rings 999 and desperately needs our help we are ready to respond to a wide range of emergencies – and it’s not just fires we go to.
Our firefighters are equipped with the skills and training needed to deal with everything from road traffic collisions, firefighting, chemical incidents, rope, water, and animal rescue, as well as provide medical care to those in need.
Remind you of anyone?
All of our staff are ordinary people, doing extraordinary things when they come to work.
To be a firefighter you need to have great communication skills, you need to be driven and committed, you need to be a problem solver, you need to be physically fit but most of all you need to be someone who cares deeply about making a difference to our communities and the people we serve.
If that sounds like you, then yes you can be a firefighter.
Our values
Find out more on our Vision, Mission and Values
Our Values