NI Fire and Rescue Service begins on-call firefighter recruitment

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) is recruiting for people to take up these vital roles in 15 fire stations.

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 community.

NIFRS is recruiting people who live or work within five minutes of the following stations – Ballycastle, Banbridge, Carryduff, Comber, Crossmaglen, Crumlin, Donaghadee, Enniskillen, Holywood, Keady, Limavady, Lisnaskea, Newry, Newtownards and Whitehead.

Brian Stanfield, NIFRS Area Commander said: “Being a firefighter isn’t a job, it’s a vocation- it’s an interesting and rewarding role, allowing you to serve your local community and keep them safe.

“NIFRS simply could not operate without our on-call firefighters as they provide emergency fire and rescue services to their local communities 24/7.

“On-call firefighters must be able to quickly respond to emergencies by making their way to the fire station within five minutes when alerted by pager, where they will meet the rest of their crew.

“Local employers have an equally important role to play in the success of our on-call firefighter system by allowing their employees to become on-call firefighters. Hundreds of local employers across Northern Ireland employ on-call firefighters, benefiting them by having someone on site who has developed a wide range of skills and experience.

“NIFRS greatly appreciates the support of local employers in helping provide the best possible fire and 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 two hours per week in the evening.

“Our on-call firefighters are trained to the highest standards and take part in 12 days 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 the NIFRS website – https://www.nifrs.org/work-with-us/

The closing date for applications is Friday, February 11, 2022. Virtual opening evenings will be held on Tuesday, February 1 from 7.30pm-9pm and Wednesday, February 9 from 7.30pm-9pm on Zoom and will provide further information on the on-call recruitment process.

Anyone interested in attending either of the open evenings should e-mail [email protected] by Tuesday, February 1 at 12 noon and advise which evening you would like to attend.