Please note the Full-Time Firefighter recruitment process opens on Monday 2 November.
Job Description
Location
Posted to any Service location within the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service area.
Overall Purpose
To protect and rescue people and property from fire and other hazards in the most competent and effective manner to the highest possible standard of care and quality.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Emergencies
- Respond immediately and safely to all emergency calls and requests for assistance
- Deal with emergencies as directed and work effectively and efficiently as a member of a disciplined team
- Minimise distress and suffering, including giving first aid care
Claire Tait - The Role of a Firefighter
What does a firefighter's role involve? Group Manager Claire Tait explains the variety of the job, from responding to emergencies and supporting communities to ongoing training and career development.
Claire Tait - The Role of a Firefighter video transcript
My name's Claire Tait. I'm the Group Manager for North, East, and North Lincolnshire districts, which covers the whole of the Southbank. On stations, no day is ever the same. Different watches follow on from other watches. Incidents take priority. However, there is so much work that is also done on training to maintain competence, and also work within the communities, which can range from visiting people in their homes to visiting businesses, engaging with schools, engaging with other voluntary sector organisations, and really providing a service to our community. So, we are a 24-hour service that operates [music] 365 days a year. Incidents are so varied. They can happen early in the morning. They can happen over [music] lunchtimes. They can happen throughout the evening and into the night, which includes being called out when you are possibly in the early hours of [music] the morning. So, we have a number of Full-Time stations, which are spread all across Humberside on the Southbank and on the Northbank of the river extending out into the East Riding. To serve anywhere might mean that you move from one station to another throughout your career. This is so that we can move operational readiness and make sure we've got the right number of people on the right appliances with the right skill [music] sets. But, with that comes a load of opportunities to learn new skills, develop your working relationships with your colleagues, [music] move from watch to watch, and get different experiences there as well.
It's really important that candidates have a full UK driving license. It's important to get to the training courses initially that need to do, which may not be always in the same location. It's also important for when you posted to a station that you're able to get there, and that station may change over your career. It's also important that you may have to move from station to station throughout a shift if we're required to cover in different places. We also need the ability to drive because we may want you in the future to be an appliance driver or a driver of a specialist appliance which give you extra skills. But also in addition to that, it helps when you are doing your courses. So when you're undertaking RTC courses, for example, road traffic collision courses and learning [music] how to make sure you can rescue people from vehicles, it's it's important to understand how to drive a vehicle, how to put a car into neutral, how to apply a handbrake, etc. [music] Firefighters can have another job alongside their role. However, this must be declared to Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. [music] And it also must not have any conflict of interest. It must allow us to have the adequate rest between our shift periods as well. One of the roles that we do have within Humberside Fire is On-Call firefighter and that allows dual contract is what we call it. So you were able to do your Full-Time role as a firefighter and an On-Call role at a local fire station if you live within the parameters that our station allows. That means you can utilise your skills to serve your community in two areas, not just one.
Health and Safety
- Recognise health and safety issues at work and take action to minimise or eliminate the degree of hazard or risk
- Ensure personal safety and that of others at all times
Dealing with People
- Establish and maintain the confidence of members of the public
- Develop and maintain links with the community
- Be sensitive to the needs of others with regard to fairness and dignity
Protecting the Environment
- Mitigating damage to the environment from hazardous materials
- Decontaminating people and property affected by hazardous materials
- Supporting people involved in hazardous materials incidents
Public Safety
- Give general fire safety advice and guidance to people when requested
- Educate members of the community in the risks and hazards of fire and other emergencies
- Assist in the delivery of Service initiatives, programmes and strategies to reduce fire and other emergency calls
Personal Fitness and Hygiene
- Maintain the expected standards of physical and medical fitness necessary to carry out the duties of a Firefighter
- Maintain personal appearance, hygiene and cleanliness of uniform in keeping with our Service standards
Equipment
- Maintain all firefighting and emergency equipment in a state of readiness, including cleaning, repairing and testing as required to approved standards and procedures
- Check firefighting resources provided for Fire and Service use including hydrants and fixed installations
Driving, Manoeuvring and Redeploying Fire Service Vehicles
- Driving vehicles to incidents in a safe manner in line with Service standards
- Manoeuvring, siting and redeploying vehicles
Local Geography
- Ensure knowledge of local streets, roads and buildings situated within the Fire Station response area is up-to-date
- Be aware of the risks, possible hazards and water supplies to be found within the Fire Station area
Administration
- Complete paperwork and routine administration including recording of information
- Use information technology as required and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998
- Keep personal records up-to-date
Training
- Take part in a continuous training programme by attending theoretical training sessions, exercises, practical drill sessions and other forms of training to maintain competence levels
- Attend training courses as requested
Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility and expertise as may be required by the Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive. Adhere to all policies and procedures of the Service.
Employee Specification
| Area | Specification | Essential | Desirable | Measured by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifications | Possession of a current Category ‘B’ car licence | X | A/V | |
| Experience | Working within or supporting local communities or working with vulnerable people | X | A/I | |
| Using effective communication skills with colleagues and/or members of the public | X | W/AC | ||
| Knowledge, Skills and Abilities | Awareness of the role of Firefighter | X | A/I | |
| Understands and respects diversity and adopts a fair and ethical approach to others | X | A/AC/I | ||
| Is open to change and actively seeks to support change and improvement in the workplace | X | A/AC/I | ||
| Ability to maintain a calm, confident and resilient response in highly challenging situations | X | AC/I | ||
| Is committed to personal development and can demonstrate an ability to continually develop their skills | X | A/AC/I | ||
| Ability to work effectively with others in a team and as part of a multi-disciplinary team with other agencies | X | A/AC/I | ||
| Ability to swim 50 metres unaided without stopping using front crawl technique | X | PPA | ||
| Ability to Work at heights and work in confined spaces | X | PPA | ||
| Good fitness levels | X | PPA/M | ||
| Meet the appropriate medical standards including eye sight and hearing | X | M | ||
| Other Requirements | Must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the training | X | A/V | |
| Ideally live within the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service operational area | X | A | ||
| Willing to work rostered shifts including evenings, weekends and public holidays | X | I | ||
| Ability to work at any location with the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service area | X | I |
Key:
- A – Application
- AC – Assessment Centre
- I – Interview
- V – Verification
- R – Reference
- M – Medical
- PPA – Physical and Practical Assessment
- W – Written Tests
Rates of Pay
Rates of pay for Full-Time Firefighters from 1 July 2026.
| Role | Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Development | £31,539 |
| Competent | £40,358 |
Important Dates
The Full-Time Firefighter recruitment process has a number of important dates that candidates will need to be aware of and be available for should they progress through the process.
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Recruitment opens via an on-line application. Shortlisting will take place as applications are received. Once 300 shortlisted applicants are identified, the application window will close. | 2 November 2026 at 9 am |
| Written tests and fitness testing | 7 to 11 December 2026 |
| National Firefighter Selection Tests | 4 to 15 January 2027 |
| Assessment Centre | 25 January to 5 February 2027 |
| Medicals | 15 to 19 February 2027 |
| Start of initial training course | 20 April 2027 |
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply, candidates must:
- Be at least 18 years of age as of 20 April 2027
- Possess a full category B car driving licence
- Be able to swim in open water at least 25 metres unaided using the front crawl technique
- Have not declared a criminal conviction(s) which may render them unsuitable for employment.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process and welcome applications from all candidates. If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability, health condition, or neurodivergence, please let us know. We will work with you to understand your needs and make appropriate arrangements to support your participation and ensure a fair and accessible experience.
Applications
The online application process is accessed via our website at www.humbersidefire.gov.uk
Candidates will be required to complete several data fields including personal information and eligibility questions. At the end, candidates are asked to provide information on their suitability for the role of a Firefighter in no more than 500 words. Candidates are encouraged read the Fire and Rescue Service’s Core Code of Ethics and the National Fire Chiefs Council Leadership Framework, (specifically the Leading Yourself strand) before completing the application. You must ensure that you give yourself enough time to complete the application in full as you will not be able to save it and go back to complete it later.
Current On-Call and Full-Time operational staff are welcome to apply and will be required to undertake all the stages of the recruitment process.
Written Tests and Fitness Testing
Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to undertake a written test comprising of several questions covering the areas of:
- Numerical reasoning
- Reading and information comprehension
- Mechanical comprehension
- Logical reasoning and problem solving
- Situational judgement and workplace behaviours
Candidates will then undertake a fitness test using the bleep test and be expected to achieve level 8, shuttle 8.
Andy Jones - Fitness and Medical Requirements
Fitness and Wellbeing Manager Andy Jones explains the fitness and medical standards for firefighters, including the bleep test, health checks and the support available to help candidates succeed.
Andy Jones - Fitness and Medical Requirements video transcript
I'm Andy Jones. I'm Fitness and Well-being Manager for Occupational Health at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. As part of the recruitment process, we have a selection or a battery of tests that form part of the NFST. So, national firefighter selection tests. So, firstly, that will take form as a bleap test or shuttle run test where people have to run 20 m shuttles and the standard that we're looking for is level 8 shuttle 8. So for information that's running around 8 1/2 minutes and the maximum speed you'll be running at is 12 km/h and we do have a video on our website that is really informative to give you one a look at what the test looks like but also there's some training ideas on there to prepare for the test. We also do a series of other physical carry tests. So we have a rural carry test that we perform on our headquarters drill ground. So that will be in full fire kit carrying some equipment over a 25 m course and the challenge there is to complete that within 5 1/2 minutes or 5 minutes 37 seconds is the cutoff and that just shows us that you've got the physical ability to lift some of the equipment required in the firefighting role and not just that forming a kind of fitness program as part of your preparation for firefighter recruitment is not just preparing you physically but also behaviorally. So all the kind of aspects that we're looking for of adearing to fitness and keeping kind of that routine is not just good for the body but also for the mind as well. You will also meet my colleagues in the occupational health team further down the process. So the clinical and technical team who will take a medical so that will cover things like your sight vision test. You also have your hearing test. We'll do blood pressure, height, weight and spirometry as well. And that will all go through our occupational health technician team later in the process.
National Firefighter Selection Tests (NFST)
Candidates who meet the written and fitness standards, will then be invited to undertake a number of practical job related tests including:
- Ladder lift
- Ladder climb
- Ladder extension
- Ladder extend to lower
- Enclosed space
- Equipment carry
- Manual dexterity
- Casualty drag
Assessment Centre
Candidates who pass the NFST will then be invited to take part in an Assessment Centre. You will be assessed on your team working skills, undertake a group discussion and have a 20-minute interview.
Medical
Our top 16 candidates will then be invited to undertake a medical at our Occupational Health facility in Beverley. The medical will cover a number of checks including eye sight, spirometry, audiometry and a general medical examination including a drug and alcohol test. All decisions made at this stage are final and not subject to appeal.
Employment Checks
Successful candidates will then be offered a place on our Full-Time Firefighter Initial Training course subject to the following checks and documents:
- Satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- Documents confirming your right to work in the UK
- Driving Licence
- National Insurance number
- Two satisfactory references
Some of these documents may also be requested at earlier stages of the recruitment process to confirm your identity. Please do not hand in your notice with your current employer until all satisfactory checks have been completed.
Initial Training
New Firefighter recruits will commence a non-residential 12-week initial training course primarily held at our Training School in Immingham. The training will comprise of a mixture of theoretical and practical lessons with regular examinations to confirm understanding.
Recruits will be permitted to take a number of days annual leave during the course, at the direction of the Service. You will be required to supply your own food and refreshments.
At the end of the course, a ceremonial Passing Out Parade will then be held where your family and friends will be able to watch you demonstrate your newly acquired skills and competencies.
Steve Colakovic - Firefighter Training
Group Manager Steve Colakovic outlines the training journey for firefighters, including the skills, learning and development that prepare crews to respond safely and effectively to incidents.
Steve Colakovic - Firefighter Training video transcript
So my name's Group Manager Steve Clackovic. I'm the Head of Operational Training at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. So training school is a mix of practical training and theoretical training done over a period of approximately 13 weeks. However, this varies dependent upon the fire station which you're posted to as we give additional skills and training related to each fire station. So it's very intensive. Like I say you do practical training, theoretical training. So that includes classroom work and then once you've got the basic theoretical understanding we then move into practical skills. So what we do is we start off with the basic concept of running hoses out operating pumps which we call fire ground skills which is putting ladders up as well. We then transition into a range of different skills to cover all the operational activities and incidents that we attend including road traffic collision, hazardous materials, breathing apparatus and firefighting, working at height and rope work as well as water rescue and response to water related incidents.
So the training course is predominantly conducted at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service training venues which we have a number of them across the Service area. However, there is some elements which are done outside of Service area. So mostly the training course is non-residential when you are undertaking the training in Service. However, there is a need for certain elements, predominantly the water rescue, but maybe some others for the odd overnight stay to undertake some training outside of Service area. So, the role of a firefighter includes rescues from water. So, in the Humberside area, we have a number of waterways and do actively perform a number of rescues in water each year. Therefore, we need our firefighters to be confident in water, have a reasonable level of swimming capability. So, we require our staff to operate in static water and also fast flowing water. Following the recruits course, which is the sort of basic safe to ride fire engines. So that gives you the acquisition skills to be able to safely and effectively perform the role of a firefighter, which we call as the initial training. You move then into a three-year development program, which results in undertaking additional training on station, periodic assessments throughout that period. And then you will receive additional training in certain modules, the assessments as we're going and then at the end of the 3 years subject to passing the final endpoint assessment, you will be then deemed as a competent firefighter.
Station Allocation
You will be informed at the end of the training course of your allocated Fire Station location. This could be anywhere within the Humberside Fire and Rescue Service boundary and may not be close to your home address, at the end of the course. You will then complete a 36-month operational Firefighter development pathway.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you every success throughout the recruitment process.