Reply With QuoteYou only live once. If you fancy it, go for it.
I think there a few ex-Fire Brigade on here, I know one well, but I’ll let them comment in person.
Good for you btw.
So...
I have just expressed an interest to work with the Surrey firefighters as an on call firefighter.
The info was quite scant but to me it sounds like an amazing opportunity to do something different and worthwhile.
I work full time in a finance, normally based in London but Covid19 has changed the landscape immensely and I imagine that my role will be good mix of home and London working when we emerge from this 100% at home scenario we're in at the moment.
The station isn't asking (doesn't appear to be) for a huge time commitment, 36 hours, which is essentially 3 shifts, which I could do 1800-0600.
Am I mad?
Are there any on call firefighters here?
I am awaiting some further details.
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You only live once. If you fancy it, go for it.
I think there a few ex-Fire Brigade on here, I know one well, but I’ll let them comment in person.
Good for you btw.
Good for you, my nephew who is young and fit has done it for a few years. He is trying to go full time but no luck yet He loves getting paid 50p hr for sitting at home on call. I think he gets paid for turning up then gets extra when they go out. Most of his call outs are for fire alarms at homes for the elderly or covering bigger stations when they all get called out. Good luck if you decide to go for it.
It’s a great thing to do. If the London fire brigade had retained officers I would look to do the same. A guy that works for me did the same when he lived in Bedfordshire and really enjoyed it.
I play rugby with a few fire fighters and they really enjoy the job. It’s 95% boredom 4% full on action 1% grim. You see some horrid sights.
I have looked in to joining the RNLI in London but they have a waiting list. (Which was nice to find out, if a little disappointing)
Which station?
Good on you. It was something I looked in to when I was in my 20’s. Fast forward a couple of decades, I would still be up for the challenge but I could now make up enough excuses not to press the button..
HaslemereOriginally Posted by ed335d
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That's really a good move!
In this country we have a system of volunteers and professionals. Smaller towns and villages mostly have volunteers, sometimes with professional commanders; larger communities and cities have a professional crew with added volunteers. The high number of volunteers makes that most of us here in the Netherlands know someone who's a fire fighter (especially in the smaller communities). I know a handful as well. Two science teachers, an indy car shop owner and people from the building trade. The indy's workshop is often used for practice nights so are the science teachers' school. It always amazes me that young men with a 'wild' youth and a 'you don't tell me what to do' attitude when they were younger fit so nicely into the very strict and regulated world of fire fighters.
Guy I worked with was a retained ff. He balanced work and the ff work easily. They put him through some driving qualifications so he could drive the fire engine ( everyones dream). On a more sober note you will attend fires where people and in his case children have perished so please be aware of this element of the job. It sure rattled him.
Steve
Just asking as a good mate of mine is a retained at a station which is run by a complete pr!ck. It's not Haslemere.
It has interfered with his day job (the shifts are only nights and you can get multiple call-outs in a night). It can also affect social life - have to be within 5 minutes of the station and leave at the drop of a hat.
That is certainly a concern of mine.
You can't pick who runs the watch.
Also, if any point my primary job became effected I'd have to leave. :(
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What kind of training do they offer?
Well this is it. At the moment I am not entirely sure. I understand that the basic training is enough to get you able to attend call outs etc.
I believe that if you're up for it, you can do all the other add on training. Driving. Breathing apparatus, marine drills etc.
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Nothing constructive to add really but this is very cool.
The fire service used to be a client of mine and I spent quite a bit of time at their training places at Euxton (Lancashire) and the big one down Melton Mowbray way producing some videos of their training in action. What a great time getting them to set cars/planes/buildings on fire and hanging out with them in the bar (and them taking us to their favourite curry house) on an evening. I was only in my 20s and with all the action going on in a specialist environment it felt like I was in the SAS or something.
Good luck!
As Kirk has alluded to, there are a few of the old guard on here (me being one). I retired in 2013 but I had a few retained stations under my responsibility so I can offer some perspective.
Firstly, it is a decent commitment - pay is banded depending on the availability you offer, more hours equals more pay (obvs.).
Very community focussed and you will be working alongside others from the same community.
Prior to riding the trucks you will have to successfully complete core skills training and qualify in wearing breathing apparatus.
There will be one training evening per week for all staff at the station (lasts a couple of hours).
Driving is not for everybody, it's a big responsibility and does not suit all.
Can help you in the future if you want to go on to full time.
Happy to answer specifics via PM if it helps?
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
^^^^ there is the chap I was talking about!
You can do training until the cows come home, but until you are inside a burning building on the end of a hose line you won't really know if the job's for you. Likewise dealing with casualties and fatalities. It's nothing like the smoke free fictional series you may have seen on TV, it's dirty hard work and not at all glamorous. When I joined (wholetime) in 1975 you did a 13 week residential recruits course, report on Sunday evening, then home for the weekend Friday afternoon - provided your undress uniform inspection on the parade yard and training school inspection was ok. At the end of the 13 weeks you had a week off, during which you'd get your first posting, then it was a 5 day BA wearing course (fail and you were going home, one lad did on my course - claustraphobic) then a 5 day Fire Prevention course, then off to your first station. Then it was a year's probation, and you couldn't wear BA in a job for the first 6 months, only for ventilation. I don't know where the 95% boredom comes from, I was never bored, right up to June 2007 when I retired after 32 years.
F.T.F.A.
You forgot the week 1 haircut Bob!.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Chris,
Thank you, that's really helpful, I may reach out to you to find out some more details as you've kindly offered.
To be 100% clear, I'm not exploring this avenue as I like the idea of being a hero. It simply seems like something worthwhile doing, whilst learning some life skills.
Going full time is not an option for me. I have a career in finance which I've no plans of giving up. This would simply be an additional job when I'm not working my "normal" job. This is the main reason why I am questioning myself. Do I have the time and mental ability to do this whilst still working a 0900-1700... and then being on call 1800-0600...
I understand that the pay will not be great, that's not a worry as I am not relying on it to get through. If the job was voluntary I'd still be considering it. The time commitment I'm able to offer is nothing like those who do this full time for a living.
I'm hoping to hear back this week. Let's see what happens next.
Jamie
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Apologies if I offended with the 95% comment I can only go on the conversations I have had with my mates. I play rugby with 3 London firemen based in various parts of central and West London.
One has been based in a central London station for over 10 years and his first major fire in that time was Grenfell.(his words) He was on shift at the nearest station at the time. I guess he had been lucky up to that point (I also assume what is classed as a major fire would also be open to opinion).
Am I reading this right, that after two hours training a person is ready to respond to fire emergencies? Surely not?
Ha ha ha! That was on day 1 Chris, most of us were sent off to the local barber to be shorn!
No offence taken I assure you. County Durham has a motorway and mainline railway running through it, as well as a length of coastline, a mix of residential, retail and manufacturing, and high risks such as hospitals, Castle and Cathedral, a lot of farmland and moorland, so never a dull moment.
I'm amazed anything really exists 9-5 that is a career these days, best of luck - I'd love to do something like this but I'm never going to get anywhere near the free hours - am lucky to get hours to sleep, let alone be on call! Best of luck to you with it, sounds a great experience and a way to give back too.
No, you are not reading it correct (might be my wording).
AFTER core skills training, qualification in breathing apparatus wearing etc. the ongoing skills are maintained by a once-per-week couple of hours training sessions.
And, of course, experiential learning at incidents from colleagues.
Last edited by Chris_in_the_UK; 17th January 2021 at 20:52.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
We had a guy who came in (local retained Ff who ran a barber shop). First night of residential we we 'shorn', one guy protested and said he had paid £20 (in 1983) at Vidal Sassoon in Leeds so he did not need it cutting..................................buzzed to the wood!.Ha ha ha! That was on day 1 Chris, most of us were sent off to the local barber to be shorn!
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
I thought it couldn't be correct.
I've always considered the job of a firefighter as up there with paramedic or beat bobby, i.e. highly skilled and requiring rigorous qualification… and decent sized cojones.
Last edited by Onelasttime; 17th January 2021 at 21:12.
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