Wholetime

Are you ready to embrace a career like no other? This is your chance to become a vital part of our dedicated team and make a real difference in the communities of Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

We encourage applications from all backgrounds and actively promote diversity and inclusion in our workforce. We believe that different perspectives make us stronger and better equipped to serve our communities.

Becoming a Firefighter at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service offers you an exciting and rewarding career with a real opportunity for progression. You may have the perception that the Fire and Rescue Service only put out fires, but this is far from reality.

Firefighters are at the forefront of both responding to emergencies and engaging in proactive prevention and protection efforts to minimise the likelihood of incidents happening in the first place. This mission involves educating and collaborating with local communities and businesses to promote safety. Effective communication and the ability to impart best practices to households and enterprises are vital skills in this role.

As a Firefighter, each day presents new challenges and diverse experiences, including but not limited to:

• Rescues from water and height
• Animal rescue
• Road traffic collisions
• Home fire safety checks
• Business fire safety checks
• School visits/community education
• Engaging with communities and working with vulnerable people
• Transport incidents such as railways and airports
• Threats of terrorism
• Hazardous material spills
• Gaining entry to property.

Protecting society against all of these dangers requires an innovative approach and new skills and knowledge.

We spoke to one of our own who recently completed their first year of training. They described the role as unique, rewarding, and full of unexpected challenges.

"Being a firefighter is different from any other job out there, but it's rewarding, and you never know what will happen during the day. It is hard work, but if you enjoy a challenge and want to help people in your community, then it is the perfect job for you!"

Joining Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service offers not just a job but a career path with room for growth. You'll receive ongoing training, gain nationally-recognised qualifications, and have the opportunity to specialise in areas like fire protection or management.

To be eligible to apply for one of our new Wholetime Firefighter roles, you must meet the essential requirements below. Don't worry if you're not sure about your eligibility; our Frequently Asked Questions section provides all the answers you need.

• Live in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland at the time of your application.
• Be prepared to undertake a Basic Disclosure Check.
• Be eligible to work in the UK.

Our recruitment process is comprehensive and designed to find the best candidates. It includes an online application, behavioural standards questions, literacy, numeracy, mechanical reasoning assessments, and a multi-stage shuttle run fitness test. We also conduct competency-based interviews and thorough medical and pre-employment checks.

You will be on development pay for a period of time. You will be auto-enrolled into the 2015 pension scheme at 11.00% of your earnings. The tax code issued to you will be applied, along with the current rate of National Insurance.

We offer 25 days annual leave plus public holidays for our support employees increasing to 29 days following five years' service. We offer 28 days of annual leave for our wholetime firefighters, increasing to 31 days following five years' service. On-Call firefighters are entitled to 28 days per annum increasing to 35 days following five years' service. This does not include bank holidays.

We offer our employees the opportunity to join a relevant pension scheme as soon as they start work, either the Local Government Pension Scheme or the Firefighter's Pension Scheme.