Apprentice Wholetime Firefighter

Contract: Permanent
Working Hours: 42 hours a week
Salary: £28,265.00 rising to £37,675.00 when Competent
Location: Across Essex (you could be posted to any station in the County)
Closing Date: 12pm (noon) Friday 21st February

This is the first of two application opportunities for you to apply to become an apprentice wholetime firefighter in 2025, with the second window opening on 5 May 2025.

If you have any concerns about your ability to meet our fitness standards at this time, please consider applying later in the year. Information about firefighter fitness is available here: Firefighter fitness | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

In addition, if you do not have the relevant Maths or English qualifications (see eligibility below), you may be eligible to free support to achieve these. More information is available here: Functional Skills – English or Mathematics L1 & 2 -Colchester Institute

We strongly recommend that you research the role and read all the information about being a firefighter, and how to become a firefighter. Further additional information about a range of topics, including the application stages and visual and audio standards, can be found on our accessible website here: FAQs – Wholetime | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Eligibility (Person Specification)

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service applies Safer Recruitment standards and checks.
To be eligible to apply to become an Apprentice Wholetime Firefighter, you must:

Be eligible to work in the UK
Be able to provide hard copy evidence that you have GCSE C-A, or 4-9, or Functional Skills Level 2, in Maths and English, or recognised international equivalent
Hold a full manual UK Driving Licence
Be able to travel to any fire station in Essex
Have a valid email address
Meet the vision and hearing criteria (for more information, see: FAQs – Wholetime | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Be able to provide full employment and education history, including being able to explain any gaps in this history that have occurred in the last five years

If you are an internal candidate, you must have discussed your application with your line manager and confirmed with them there are no outstanding issues of conduct or performance. If you are an ECFRS On-call Firefighter, you must have an in-date Fitech and Operational Health medical assessment. These will be verified during the process.

The Role (Role Profile)

We’re recruiting wholetime firefighters to begin training in June 2025.  All our new wholetime firefighters complete an apprenticeship programme alongside training to become a competent firefighter. That’s why the job title is ‘ Apprentice Wholetime Firefighter’.

Forget those outdated stereotypes – we are team members, teachers, communicators, community-minded, protectors and role models. Firefighting is a diverse and rewarding career on the front line, saving lives. If you want to play a key role in our communities, preventing and protecting our residents and visitors from harm and keeping Essex safe, this is the role for you.

Firefighters come in all ages, shapes and sizes and we know the best teams are made up of different kinds of people, which is why we’re interested in hearing from anyone who meets our eligibility requirements. You don’t need any previous experience of firefighting, you just need to be community-minded and share our vision of making Essex a safe place to live, work and travel. We’ll give you all the training you need to become a first-class firefighter.

You will live and breathe our Service values of being professional, inclusive, courageous, a team-player, and high-performing.

How to apply

Stage 1
Online application form. You will be required to provide all the details requested, and upload a CV (or similar supporting document) that covers your full employment and education history.

Stage 2
Psychometric assessment. This is an online problem solving and task-based assessment that provides information about your natural behaviours and responses to situations, and is part of our shortlisting process.

Stage 3
Fitness & physical assessment. These will run from 24 February 2025, and more information is available here: Firefighter fitness | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Stage 4
Interview. You will be invited to attend an interview, which will run from 10 March 2025. The interview will explore your values, ethics, and experience in various situations to find out more about you.
Stage 5
Practical Assessment Day. You will undertake a series of practical and team working activities, with a confirmation of knowledge assessment, which will form the final assessment.

Stage 6
Pre-employment Checks. You will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS check, reference checks covering five years of employment and education, and a further fitness validation. You will also be required to attend induction, and take a skills-scan related to the apprenticeship.

Our Culture and Benefits

We have a strong commitment to supporting our firefighters to develop and progress. Since 2019, all our Wholetime Firefighters have been enrolled to complete Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship as part of their development.

Here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service we are committed to prioritising and promoting the wellbeing of our employees.

More information about our benefits and culture are available here: Benefits of working with us | Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

Safeguarding

Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

It is our policy to require all applicants for employment to disclose if you are currently being investigated by any regulatory body or have any decisions or sanctions pending or in progress in respect of your suitability to work for the Service.

You agree to inform the Service within 24 hours if you are subsequently investigated by any agency or organisation in relation to concerns about your behaviour towards children, young people or vulnerable adults.

The information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential and will be considered only in relation to the appointment for which you are applying.

This role will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Disability Confident & Inclusive Employer
We are an equal opportunities, Disability Confident employer with a Silver accreditation from the Inclusive Employers Standard, who welcomes applications from everyone and values diversity in our workplace. A commitment to promoting diversity and developing a work environment where all staff are treated with dignity and respect is central to our recruitment process and all applications will be considered solely on merit.
As part of our offer to support all our candidates to perform to the best of their abilities during our recruitment and selection processes and we would like to let you know about a couple of support options you can access, should you wish to, including our employee forums, who are keen and willing to support all of our potential colleagues.
Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information about support and adjustments, please contact Equality.Diversity@essex-fire.gov.uk
You are also able to raise any queries or requests for support, including any adjustments you may require, at any stage of the process by email to recruitment@essex-fire.gov.uk
You can find out more about Essex County Fire & Rescue Service via www.essex-fire.gov.uk