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hello
i have been asked for interview soon and wondered if there might be advice/guidance etc for a newbie please?
Can't be of a real help to be honest as I joined up years ago. But sadexpunk has made the transition from retained to wholetime a couple of years back so may be of some help,also nip in to your local station as they be of some help and give you The heads up on the latest drives and fire safety your particular brigade is currently involved in. I'm surprised they are taking on at all actually we are shutting stations all over and not recruiting til 2020 at the earliest . Good luck mate
They'll ask you a load of questions to make sure you aren't racist or fattist or sexist or not-very-nice-ist.
They need you to do be committed as it costs a lot to train you and they don't want you to leave after 12 months. They also want you to be reliable when the pager goes at 3am on a cold rainy sunday, and they need you to understand just how much commitment it takes to stay at home all weekend waiting for a call that never comes when it's quiet, and then how much support you'll get from your family and primary employer when it's busy.
Also your motivation for joining - cash? Bored? new Challenge? Give something back to the community?
People that want the cash tend to stick it out when it gets tough.
To be fair the interviewers guided me to the right answers as the station was desperate for new staff - probably the wrong thing to do as I only lasted 18 months - couldn't stand waiting in all weekend (sober and unable to ride your bike farther than 3 minutes from the station) to attend nothing but faulty alarms and burnt toast only to be shouted at for 2 hours every week at drill!
Good luck, and don't underestimate the commitment you need. For those that like it they love it!
As above poster mentions the commitment needed is a hell of a lot I certainly wouldn't do it but lots of people love it.
thats about it really mate, if they want bums on seats, theyll try to make sure you go through as long as you understand the commitment and agree to it. they sometimes tend to frown on teenagers who they think will want a bit more of a party lifestyle, but saying that, they still take em on over here if theyre short on station 🙂
have you got a girlfriend/ wife/ family? do they support this because youll be saying 'no' to doing a lot of things that they want to, because you cant get off call 🙂
but.... if youre still sure its for you, then go go go, and best of luck mate 🙂 if you need to know owt specific, drop me a line.
cheers
thanks for the replies so far.
doing it for a few reasons, some of which are mentioned above.
it is a rural station and i live close by.
Unfortunately i am not a teenager, ah those days, so approaching the opportunity with interest.
Married with babies en route, so staying in will be on the cards anyway for a while and my wife understands and supports me (so far).
I am not looking for a career in the service although my commitment will be for more than 12 months, i hope.
Sadexpunk, i will be in touch if its ok with you.
Married with babies en route, so staying in will be on the cards anyway for a while and my wife understands and supports me (so far).
Sounds like me when I joined. If anything the pressure is worse for the missus. As you may be there, but she can't leave you with the baby even for 10 minutes while she walks round the block for a pint of milk, and if the baby is playing up you can't take it out in the buggy while she has a break and catches up on some sleep.
Of course little trb loved coming up the station and sitting in the big red truck while I did my routines - but again if I was booked on the missus had to come as well.
and you'll be able to sit down and give Fireman Sam a critical review 😉
I paint a dark picture there, but it was too tough for me & mrs trb, especially when little trb #2 came along.
Sadexpunk, i will be in touch if its ok with you.
certainly mate. theres a few answers painting a dark picture of it (mine included :-), and rightly so if you want to know the full facts of what the commitment means, but if youre set on it and know what youre getting into it can be very rewarding.
i certainly enjoyed my time doing it, my wife not so much, but i never forget my roots now 🙂
which service are you going for btw?
I have applied to Southam, if you dont know where it is then it is in Warwickshire.
Lots of things to think about