The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is recruiting for On-Call Firefighters at 12 Fire Stations across Northern Ireland.
They are looking for enthusiastic, flexible and committed people who live or work within five minutes of their local Fire Station to join and serve their community.
On-Call Firefighters are part-time Firefighters who keep their local community safe by responding to emergency incidents, including fires, road traffic collisions and other specialist service calls. They also play a crucial role in providing safety advice to their local community.
The stations currently recruiting are: Ballycastle, Ballynahinch, Comber, Crossmaglen, Donaghadee, Dromore (Co. Tyrone), Irvinestown, Keady, Newtownhamilton, Newtownstewart, Portadown and Portstewart.
A number of open days have been organised this week for potential applicants to visit the stations and find out more information about what it means to be an On-Call Firefighter.
In Co. Armagh, the open day at Keady Fire Station will be held on Tuesday, May 21, at 7.30pm, followed by Crossmaglen on Wednesday, May 22 at 7.30pm.
Newtownhamilton Fire Station and Portadown Fire Station will both hold open days on Thursday, May 23 at 7pm and 7.30pm respectively.
Armagh I visited Keady Fire Station to speak to Group Commander, Roy Purvis, who explained why people should consider signing up to be an On-Call Firefighter.
NIFRS Assistant Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Brian Stanfield added: “Our On-Call Firefighters are the backbone of our Fire & Rescue Service; we simply could not operate or deliver the service we provide without them. They provide emergency Fire & Rescue Services to their local communities 24/7, 365 days a year.
“This is a really exciting time to be joining NIFRS as we will soon be moving to our new Learning & Development College in Cookstown, a first-class training facility were our On-Call Firefighters will train and develop.
“On-Call Firefighters must be able to quickly respond to emergencies by making their way to the Fire Station within 5 minutes when alerted by pager, where they will meet the rest of their crew. Being a Firefighter isn’t a job, it’s a vocation. It’s a demanding and rewarding role and you will be working in the heart of the community in keeping them safe.”
He continued: “I would also like to call on the local employers, who play an equally important role in the success of our On-Call Firefighter system, by allowing their employees to become On-Call Firefighters.
“Having an employee on site that has developed a wide range of skills and experience in an emergency situation can also be a great benefit to any employer. As an organisation, we greatly appreciate the support of local employers all over Northern Ireland in helping us provide the best possible Fire & Rescue Service.
“On-Call Firefighters are paid a retaining fee, emergency call-out payments and a payment to attend a weekly drill night, which is 2 hours per week in the evening. Our On-Call Firefighters are trained to the highest standards and take part in 12 days of training each year to ensure we have the most highly skilled Firefighters to help protect our local communities.”
Candidates can apply online and download application packs from NIFRS’s website at www.nifrs.org.
The closing date for applications is 12pm on Monday, June 3, 2024.
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