1 Application timetable
We will shortly be accepting applications for wholetime firefighters. See the expected timetable below.
- Application - January 2025
- Online assessments - February 2025
- Fitness and physical role related assessments - March 2025
- Personal statement - April 2025
- Interview and team task - May 2025
- Medical assessments and referencing - June to August 2025
- Employment start - September 2025
To keep up to date check back here for updated information, look out for social media posts and you can register for job alerts on our Job search page.
2 Eligibility
In order to apply you must:
- be 17 years and six months of age (it is a requirement to be aged 18 years or over on commencement of training, so applications will be taken as long as applicants are 18 years old once they start training)
- be eligible to work in the UK
- hold a full and valid UK driving licence, unless there is a valid reason that you are unable to drive
Proof of all eligibility requirements will be required at interview stage. You will also be required to bring photo identification with you to each stage of the process.
3 What is it like being a wholetime firefighter?
The wholetime firefighter responds to many emergency situations, including fires, road traffic collisions, chemical accidents, flooding and other natural disasters. There is a much greater emphasis on working within the community to prevent emergencies from happening first and reducing their impact when they do.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is committed to meeting the needs of the diverse community that it serves. It is therefore important that you value difference and work in a way that is inclusive for all.
Firefighters spend time out in the community raising awareness of fire prevention and road safety, carrying out Safe and Well checks and engaging with a diverse range of people and local businesses.
Hours and pay
As a West Sussex wholetime firefighter you will be working an average of 42 hours per week in 12 hour shifts across one of the following duty systems:
- Group crewing: 2-2-6 shift pattern (two day shifts, two night shifts, six days off)
- Flexible rostering: flexible shift pattern working day shifts
- Crewing optimisation group: seven-day fortnight Monday to Friday
The current starting salary for a trainee wholetime firefighter is £28,265pa, rising to £37,675pa for a competent wholetime firefighter.
4 Selection process
The selection process is competitive as we want to ensure that we recruit individuals with the right skills, attitudes, values and behaviour. It is designed to assess applicants’ fitness, physical and mental strengths, personal qualities and resilience against the skills and qualities for the role of a wholetime firefighter.
Registration
At this stage we will ask for some personal details and you wll need to confirm you meet the eligibility criteria. We will also ask you some questions to check you are suited to the role.
If you meet the eligibility criteria, we will send you an email with information of how and when you can access the online assessments.
Online assessments
There are two assessments to be carried out:
- Verbal reasoning - measures your ability to evaluate written statements, using content that makes use of workplace experiences
- Calculation - measures your ability to add, subtract, divide and manipulate numbers quickly and accurately
Fitness and physical role related assessments
Physical fitness will be assessed to ensure you meet the requirements of the role.
- Shuttle run - Applicants will be required to run continuously between two marked points that are 20 metres apart. The runs, or ‘shuttles’, between these points are synchronised with pre-recorded audio which sounds bleeps at set intervals. As the interval between each successive bleep reduces, applicants will have to increase their speed between the two points. The required standard is to reach Level 8.8 (VO2 42.3).
As well as the shuttle run, there are currently six tests that make up the National Firefighter Physical Tests.
- Ladder climb - Wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) and a harness, candidates must ascend a 13.5m ladder, take a leg lock, lean back releasing their hands from the ladder and identify a symbol on the floor.
- Casualty evacuation - Wearing full PPE, candidates must walk backwards (guided by an assessor) dragging a 55kg casualty around a 30-metre course within a given time.
- Ladder lift - Wearing full PPE, candidates must lift a total load of 30kg to a height of 1.9m. This test simulates the physical demands of lifting the head of a 13.5m ladder back onto an appliance.
- Enclosed space - Wearing full PPE and a breathing apparatus facemask, candidates must negotiate a crawl with obscured vision. Candidates must complete this exercise within a given time.
- Equipment assembly - Wearing full PPE, candidates must assemble and then disassemble a piece of equipment following a set of instructions.
- Equipment carry - Wearing full PPE, candidates must carry a selection of Fire & Rescue Service equipment back and forth along a 25m track within a given time.
Personal statement
This is your opportunity to tell us about yourself and how you demonstrate the skills required of a wholetime firefighter.
Interview and team task
The interview and team task will assess general aptitude, competencies, values and behaviours for the role of a wholetime community firefighter.
Medical assessments and referencing
If you are successful, you will be required to attend a medical assessment. References and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will also be required at this stage.
5 Are you suited to the role?
Being a wholetime firefighter is extremely rewarding but can be challenging and can involve a number of situations not commonly found in other jobs. Take a moment to consider your answers to these questions.
Are you able and confident to:
- work at height
- work in enclosed spaces
- work outdoors
- get wet during your work
- get hot/cold while working
- carry heavy equipment
- work unsociable hours
- work in situations where you may see blood, seriously injured or deceased people
- deal sensitively with people in difficult situations
- talk to and engage with people in the local community, helping everyone from the young to the old, small businesses to major employers, to prosper in a safe and productive environment?
If you have answered 'no' to any of these, we strongly suggest you think seriously about whether being a wholetime firefighter is right for you.
Further information
To help you know more about the Fire Service and prepare for the process, please refer to the following resources: