'Consider firefighting': Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service seeks new crew members with upcoming open days
The search is on for fresh faced firefighters across the county
The fire and rescue service is on the hunt for prospective firefighters who want to combine their passion of protecting communities with the drive to learn lifesaving skills.
To help the search for new crew members, there will be a series of open days in May and June to provide more information about the role. People attending the events will be given an overview of the recruitment process, a tour of a fire station, meet current operational staff, and have the chance to try out parts of the practical assessments.
Alongside its general recruitment open days, the Service will host two female focused events this year aimed at encouraging more women to consider firefighter as a career. At these events you can speak to serving female firefighters about their experiences and fitness advisors will be on hand at the events to offer targeted fitness advice.
Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, chief fire officer, said:“We recognise that firefighting isn’t necessarily a career that many women would initially consider, and this is shown by the fact that nationally only around 9 per cent of firefighters are women.
“Being a good firefighter means that you’re calm under pressure, it means you’re decisive, it means you’re good at problem-solving, you’re good at communicating, you’re good at working in a team. Absolutely none of those qualities is determined by gender.
No prior firefighting experience is needed to join as full training will be provided, and each recruitment event will be three hours long, with a 10am and 2pm session to choose from.
The recruitment events are as follows:
- Rushmoor - Saturday, May 9
- Ryde - Saturday, May 16
- Cosham - Saturday, May 23
- Cosham (Female focused) - Sunday, May 24
- Basingstoke - Saturday, May 30
- Andover - Sunday, June 7
- St Marys - Saturday, June 13
- Southsea - Sunday, June 21
- Hightown (Female focused) - Saturday, June 27
Larry Mackrell, group manager for workforce planning and improvement, said: “As a firefighter every day is different, one day you’ll be responding to 999 calls and the next you’ll be helping people to understand how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
“It's a great career for anyone, with excellent training and opportunities to specialise in areas like safety and prevention, or your career path may lead to managing stations or taking on other leadership roles.
“If you've never thought about working for the fire service but want to make a positive difference in your community, come visit us during one of our open days to learn more about becoming a firefighter.”