About the role of an on-call firefighter

On-call firefighters provide valuable support to Oxfordshire communities

How it works

Being an on-call firefighter is a paid, professional role.

As an on-call firefighter you would receive the same training as our wholetime firefighters but instead of being based at a fire station you would be called out to respond to incidents when alerted. On average you could be expected to be called out two or three times each week for about an hour at a time, this can be at night or during the day.

Every week you will need to attend a drill night to take part in training exercises and carry out equipment maintenance. You may also spend time working your local community to help reduce the risk of fires and incidents by attending local events and performing Safe and Well checks.

To apply you need to be over 18, live or work five minutes of a recruiting fire station and be able to respond at a moment’s notice.

What qualities do I need?

Our on-call firefighters come from every walk of life, we have on-call firefighters who are self-employed, work from home and parents with children at school. As well as shopkeepers, builders, plumbers, office workers and people who are not currently employed.

What is important is that you are enthusiastic and can meet certain essential requirements. This can be physically demanding and therefore physical fitness is of utmost importance. Previous experience is not required as we provide a comprehensive training programme.

You choose the hours

We normally request our on-call firefighters spend a minimum of 40 hours per week on-call, with some people choosing to cover the maximum quota of 120 hours per week. You won’t spend all this time working - it’s just the time you’re available for us to call you if there’s an incident.

You can choose when you want to provide cover. This could be during the daytime, evening or weekends, or a combination of the three.

Your local station will match your availability with the needs of the station.

A second job

Although it sounds like a big commitment many people successfully balance their on-call firefighter duties with another job. Some are self-employed whilst others have permission from their employer to leave work for short periods during the daytime if necessary.

We have information for employers about staff becoming on-call firefighters if you want to talk to your employer about applying.

Which stations are recruiting?

The following stations are currently recruiting:

Would you like to join the team?

If you are applying as a wholetime or on-call firefighter, you could receive over £7000 worth of free training that will prepare you to protect and save lives in your community.

We currently have vacancies across Oxfordshire. Select your area to find out how to apply:

Note: Our partner, Hampshire County Council, administers our jobs website and application process