How to become a firefighter

You become a firefighter by applying to your local fire and rescue service when it opens a recruitment campaign, then passing a series of physical tests, written tests, an interview and a medical. There are two main types of firefighter: wholetime firefighters work full-time shifts at a station, and on-call (also called retained) firefighters live or work near a station and respond when paged, alongside another job. From 1 July 2026 a wholetime firefighter in development earns £31,539, rising to £40,358 once competent.

Wholetime and on-call

Wholetime firefighters are full-time employees working a shift pattern at a station that is crewed around the clock. Most work a pattern of day and night shifts followed by rest days. Between calls, the job involves training, equipment checks, fire safety visits to homes and businesses, school talks and community work.

On-call firefighters carry a pager or phone alert and have to reach the station within a set time when called. They are paid a retaining fee plus payments for each call and for training, and they train regularly at the station. On-call firefighters crew most fire stations in rural and smaller towns, and services often recruit for them all year because they need people who live or work close by.

The on-call commitment is significant. Services set a minimum number of hours each week when you must be available, and you have to stay within reach of the station during that time, which limits where you can go. If your cover includes working hours, your main employer needs to agree to you leaving work when paged.

Many wholetime firefighters started on-call, and on-call experience is useful in a wholetime application. Some services run day-crewed or other mixed systems as well.

Recruitment waves

Wholetime recruitment is not continuous. Services open a campaign when they need new firefighters, sometimes after years without one, and the application window can be short. Popular services receive many applications for few places, and some close the window early once they reach a cap. Register for alerts on your local service’s website and check neighbouring services too.

On-call vacancies are advertised by station and are often open for longer.

The tests

Fire services in England use national firefighter selection tests, adapted locally. The details differ, but expect:

1. An online application with eligibility checks, followed in some services by an online situational judgement or values test.
2. Written or online tests of reading comprehension, numerical reasoning and mechanical understanding.
3. Physical tests based on firefighting tasks: a ladder climb, an enclosed space exercise wearing breathing apparatus, carrying equipment over a distance, ladder lift and a casualty drag. Services also use a fitness test of aerobic capacity.
4. An interview, usually about values, teamwork and why you want the job, sometimes with a presentation.
5. A medical, including eyesight, hearing and lung function, plus references and checks.

If you fail a stage, most services let you reapply in a later campaign, and some give feedback on which test let you down. The physical tests are built around the job’s real tasks and do not measure strength for its own sake. Services publish guidance and often run familiarisation sessions, and it is sensible to train specifically for the tasks before your test date. Occupational health checks explains what the medical stage usually involves.

Training and the development period

New wholetime firefighters complete an initial training course, usually residential or full-time at a training centre, covering firefighting, breathing apparatus, rescue techniques, hazardous materials, road traffic collisions and first aid. On-call recruits train over a mix of weekends and evenings. After the course, you join a watch as a firefighter in development and build a portfolio of evidence before being assessed as competent, which moves you to the higher rate of pay.

Pay from 1 July 2026

The National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services agreed a 3.8% increase from 1 July 2026, set out in circular NJC/2/26. The rates are:

Role	Annual pay
Firefighter (development)	£31,539
Firefighter (competent)	£40,358 (£18.43 an hour)
Crew manager	£42,892 to £44,742
Watch manager	£45,711 to £50,034

On-call firefighters are paid a share of these rates through retaining fees and payments for calls and training, so their earnings depend on how often they are available and called out. Firefighter pay covers the rest of the ranks and how the on-call system pays, and the take-home pay calculator shows what the competent rate comes to each month.

Firefighters belong to the firefighters’ pension scheme, which is separate from the local government scheme. Contribution rates for 2026/27 are not in the sources we have checked; the service will give them with the offer.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland has a single national service, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and Northern Ireland has the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service. Each runs its own recruitment. Wales is covered by regional services, each recruiting separately. The NJC pay rates apply across the UK.

If the control room appeals more than the fireground, fire control operator covers the people who take the 999 calls and send the crews.