On-Call Firefighter Recruitment drive after recent major incidents

Thursday, 4 September 2025 06:00

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is calling on its local residents to consider becoming an on-call firefighter, following the recent wildfires and major incidents it has experienced.

Forty-six out of 50 stations across Dorset & Wiltshire, including Amesbury, Wilton, and Salisbury, are currently recruiting on-call firefighters. If you’re keen to support your community and stay fit while earning, this could be an opportunity for you.

Area Manager Brad Stevens said: “We’re always looking for future on-call firefighters. Most of our crews work on an on-call basis, meaning they respond to a pager when needed, and recruiting helps to ensure the best availability of resources and equipment across the service.

He added, “We want to encourage people from all walks of life to consider this opportunity. If you’d like a new challenge, enjoy supporting the community and like to keep active, then this could be for you.”

Potential firefighters need to be able to provide a minimum of 40 on-call hours of availability per week. This can be done alongside their normal job.

On-call firefighters also need to be able to respond quickly to their station when the pager goes off, so living or working near a fire station is really important too. Any questions, please get in contact with your local station.

Think you live too far away, but work from home? Could you work from a fire station instead? If this could be you, DWFRS want to hear from you - please contact recruitment@dwfire.org.uk.

Being an on-call firefighter is a paid role, and recruitment runs all year round. Information on DWFRS’ current vacancies can be found on their website - www.dwfire.org.uk/current-vacancies/

You can also find first-hand experiences and further information on how to apply on their website - www.dwfire.org.uk/working-for-us/on-call-firefighters/.