Safe and Well Officer (18-month FTC)

The Role

Are you passionate about helping people and saving lives?  Do you have good listening skills and the ability to inform, build trust and encourage change in people to improve safety and wellbeing?

The role involves visiting residents within their homes and fitting appropriate smoke detection.

A Safe and Well Officer also offers a range of person-centred advice and guidance around fire safety, crime prevention, health and wellbeing, making referrals to partner agencies as applicable.

What You Will Be Working On

• Ensuring residents have working smoke alarms on each floor of their property, fitting appropriate alarms where required.
• Undertaking Home Fire Safety visits throughout Essex, adopting a person-centred approach.
• Providing guidance around home safety, crime prevention, health and well-being, in a way that is tailored to the individual.
• Assessing for and fitting sensory smoke detection to residents with a hearing impairment.
• Assess homes for fire risk and falls hazards and mitigating where appropriate.
• Working with partner organisations to ensure delivery of appropriate, advice, guidance and support.
• Maintaining effective working relationships with internal and external partners.
• Assess the need for assistive technology and refer appropriately.

What Are We Looking For?

• Here at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, we are looking for a conscientious, enthusiastic and highly motivated person who cares about why they do what they do.
• We are offering a role that will provide fulfilment and reward to a person who is warm, friendly and professional and who embraces the positive values that Essex Fire Service promote.
• You will be someone with strong communication skills, able to adapt your style to engage with diverse and potentially vulnerable members of the community in a way that is warm, friendly and professional.
• You will need to have great observational skills and a passion for problem solving.
• In return we offer ongoing training and development opportunities and use of an Essex County Fire and Rescue Service vehicle.
• Whilst the role is predominantly lone working, we work as a strong and supportive team educating, enabling and empowering individuals and families to make better choices and live safer lives.
• Role is subject to an enhanced DBS check.

Eligibility

• Full driving licence.
• Eligibility to work in UK.
• Able to climb ladders and install smoke alarms inside a domestic property.

How to apply

You will be required to submit a CV detailing a minimum of five years employment and / or education history, along with a supporting statement of no more than 750 words that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the Person Specification.  

You may submit this either as a word document, pdf, or an mp3 (voice note) or mp4 (video), however the word count of your supporting statement should not exceed 750 words no matter which format you choose to present your application.

You may attach separate documents (such as qualifications) should you wish. Your CV and additional documents will be referred to in shortlisting to confirm eligibility (e.g., your current role and any existing qualifications). 

Assessment and selection

Stage 1 – Shortlisting (21st – 22nd July ’25)

Application & shortlisting (assessment of your supporting statement will be made against the essential criteria)

Stage 2 – Interview (w/c 28th July ’25)

The final part of the recruitment process will be a 45-minute role specific competency-based interview.

Should you wish to have an informal discussion with regards to the role, please contact Katie Behan on 07989 217331 or email: katie.behan@essex-fire.gov.uk

We are an equal opportunities, Disability Confident, employer 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.

Our employee forums and partners include:

Asian Fire Services Association (AFSA), BEING (our LGBTQ+ employee support network), Christian Fellowship, Ethnic Minority Forum, Men’s Forum, and our Women’s Forum. In addition, we also have a female firefighters operational group.

Further to the above, the Service has a Digital Accessibility Inclusion Group (DAIG) that supports all colleagues to improve their digital skills and provides additional support and guidance to colleagues with neurodivergent strengths and struggles as a result of dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, dyspraxia etc. We want everyone to thrive at work, and so we encourage and enable people to access digital tools to help them perform at your best. The DAIG is a group of colleagues from across the Service that unite to support others as a result of their lived experience and desire to make a difference. They support people with a range of visible and invisible disabilities to identify and access digital workplace adjustments and solutions and may be able to assist with your application too.

Should you wish to discuss support, or access further information, from one of these groups, please contact equalitydiversity@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 and about our vacancies, application processes and benefits via https://join.essex-fire.gov.uk 

Our Culture and Benefits

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

You can find out more about our benefits at https://www.essex-fire.gov.uk/recruitment/benefits

Important Information for Firefighter Pension Scheme Pensioners 

If you are currently in receipt of a pension from the Firefighter Pension Scheme, please note that taking up this role may affect your pension. Under pension abatement rules, if your earnings in this role, when combined with your pension, exceed your pre-retirement salary (adjusted for inflation), your pension may be reduced. 

For further guidance, please contact our Pensions team on 01376 576799 or email mailbox.pensions@essex-fire.gov.uk. 

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 a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.