East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting full-time firefighters for the first time in eight years.
The fire service, which has three fire stations in Brighton and Hove, said that it was anticipating the retirement of a number of existing staff.
Chief Fire Officer Dawn Whittaker is hoping that the job will attract people who had never previously thought of applying.
She said: “Being a firefighter is a very rewarding career – our firefighters are justifiably proud of their achievements in making East Sussex and the City of Brighton and Hove a safer place to live and work.
“The successful applicants will be trained to respond to emergency incidents such as fires, road traffic collisions and animal rescues.
“Furthermore, you will be playing a key role in preventing these incidents through education in local communities and businesses.”
She added: “The modern-day fire service requires the best candidates to come forward.
“We also want our workforce to reflect all the communities we serve.
“Firefighters need to understand local issues for different communities and cultures so that we can not only help when the worst happens but contribute positively to preventing accidents in the first place, in an appropriate way.
“This could be your opportunity to join us and make a real difference.”
The fire service said: “Firefighters have a wide range of responsibilities and need to be skilled in many areas.
“Communication is important with their fellow crew members and other emergency service colleagues at incidents and in the workplace – and with members of the public of all ages, background and abilities.
“They may find themselves in difficult situations where saying the right thing can help save lives or at open days and other events, bringing safety advice alive through demonstrations and talks.
“They will work with all members of the community and so need to be aware of the needs of others and have regard for equality, diversity and inclusion.
“They will need to be committed to training, learning and developing their operational skills, taking personal responsibility for their progress.
“They will need to thrive in a structured environment where there are regular checks and tests on all emergency equipment and where practicing and promoting health and safety is a priority.
“The first section of the application process is online and includes a number of tests. These are designed to assess suitability to the role of a firefighter.
“Later in the process, there are fitness and physical tests and an assessment centre.
“The service is hoping to form a pool of appointable candidates who will be invited on to training courses in smaller groups.
“Training is currently scheduled for February 2018 and further dates will be arranged as needed.
“Each course will have a probable maximum capacity of eight. Numbers may change depending on how many of our current colleagues choose to retire. However, at the moment it is likely that we will recruit 16 new whole-time firefighters in 2018 and up to 16 in 2019 too.”
More information can be found at www.esfrs.org/recruit.
A special event is being held at the fire service’s training centre in Maresfield next Wednesday (31 May) between 6pm and 9pm.
The fire service said: “We would welcome anyone who is interested in finding out more to come along, ask questions and have a go.
“Attendees will have an opportunity to try a couple of the physical tests, get advice on fitness, learn about our community engagement work, understand our recruitment process and speak to some of our firefighters.”
To book a place visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rescue-educate-preventtaster-session-got-what-it-takes-to-be-a-firefighter-it-could-be-you-tickets-34754877775.
Perhaps Gerald Wiley could find a better use for his time in doing this rather than typing.
I have been on the Fire Authority, and can assure him that the firefighters do great work.