1 The role
Retained (on-call) firefighters respond to emergency calls within their local area from either their home or main employment.
They will go through several training courses over a period of 2 years in order to become competent. These include a 2-week initial training course, followed by courses on road traffic collisions (RTCs), hazmat (dangerous substance), fire safety and breathing apparatus (BA), as well as on-station learning for the completion of a development programme.
In West Sussex, 14 of the county's 25 fire stations are crewed entirely by retained (on-call) firefighters.
Watch our video
Note: This video from 2018 uses YouTube's automated captions, which we have checked for accuracy.
2 Criteria for becoming an on-call firefighter
To become a retained (on-call) firefighter you must:
- be aged 18 or over
- live or work within close proximity of the fire station to which you are applying
- declare any unspent convictions or criminal proceedings pending, as these may bar you from working as a firefighter
Having a record of offences will not necessarily disqualify you - all applications are considered strictly on their merits.
If you want to provide cover during work hours (day or night) you will need to get the support and written approval of your employer. In addition to providing the required cover, you must be:
- prepared to spend a minimum of 2 hours each week training at the fire station (at a pre-determined time during a specific evening for a drill night)
- willing to attend other training courses, including some weekend training and development courses
If you are still not sure that being a retained (on-call) firefighter is for you, why not visit your local fire station or follow us on Facebook or X for details of our upcoming events.
Note: Crawley and Horley fire stations do not have a retained (on-call) firefighter section.
3 Types of cover
There are 6 different levels of cover you can apply for.
Availability Band A
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 120 hours
- Core hour requirements: 40 hours Monday to Friday between 8am to 6pm, 30 hours weekend (between 6pm Friday to 8am Monday)
- The remaining 50 hours are to be provided flexibly to meet service needs
- Retaining fee: 100 per cent
Availability Band B
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 100 hours
- Core hour requirements: 25 hours Monday to Friday between 8am to 6pm, 30 hours weekend (between 6pm Friday to 8am Monday)
- The remaining 45 hours are to be provided flexibly to meet service needs
- Retaining fee: 75 per cent
Availability Band C
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 80 hours
- Core hour requirements: 36 hours weekend (between 6pm Friday to 8am Monday)
- The remaining 44 hours are to be provided flexibly to meet service needs
- Retaining fee: 75 per cent
Availability Band D
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 40 hours
- Core hour requirements: 40 hours Monday to Friday between 8am to 6pm
- Retaining fee: 75 per cent
Note: Additional hours may be agreed under this contract.
Availability Band E
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 50 hours
- Core hour requirements: 30 hours between 8am to 6pm on days when available
- The remaining 20 hours are to be provided flexibly to meet service needs
- Retaining fee: 75 per cent
Availability Band F
- Retained (on-call) availability requirement: 50 hours
- Core hour requirements: 20 hours between 7am Saturday to 7am Monday. On nominated rota day: 7am to 8pm
- The remaining 30 hours are to be provided flexibly to meet service needs
- Retaining fee: 75 per cent
4 How to apply
All fire stations in WSFRS which have retained (on-call) firefighter vacancies will have adverts on the West Sussex County Council vacancy page.
From here, you will be able to register your interest and find out more about the role and selection process.
You can also sign up to be alerted to specific advert postings by signing up for job email alerts.
After registering your interest, if you meet the eligibility criteria, you will then meet with the station's unit lead or retained liaison officer who will complete a pre-recruitment form with you.
Following this, there are further stages consisting of:
- personal statement
- online assessments
- team task and interview
- fitness and physical role related assessments
Further information on these is available in the candidate pack, available on each station's online advert.
Not all fire stations will have retained (on-call) firefighter vacancies, so please follow the above instructions for job alerts so you can be notified should the situation change in future.
There is no retained (on-call) section at Crawley fire station so roles will not be advertised for this station.