Careers
Though we're best known for rescuing people
from burning buildings, our firefighters aren't the only heroes we
employ.
Behind the scenes there are many professionals working hard
in essential roles the public doesn’t see,
including our control team, information
systems technicians and more. Though some of them may not be
front-line staff, they all play a vital part in keeping the people
of Kent and Medway safe. Find out more about some of the careers
available and the people who work here ...
Firefighter
Kent Fire and Rescue Service is not currently
recruiting full-time firefighters
Our 1,800 firefighters respond to emergencies ranging from
fire rescues to road traffic accidents and floods. They use their
technical knowledge to maintain life-saving equipment on stations
and work with the local community to promote fire safety.
Emma Reynolds is a wholetime firefighter on Canterbury's Red
Watch. She said: "I've been here over ten years and can't imagine
doing any other job. When I was a kid, I knew what I wanted to do,
though careers advisors tried to talk me out of it as I was a girl.
The service is a great place to work and everybody supports each
other. Whether you're tackling a big fire or dealing with the
aftermath of a road accident, teamwork is everything."
Control Operator
When you call 999 and ask for the fire service, the person at
the other end of the line will be a member of our control team.
Control deals with calls about rescues and burning buildings, to
road traffic collisions and floods. At times, the survival advice
they give over the phone really can save lives. They decide what
fire crews and equipment to send to the incident, and are a central
communication point between our crews and agencies such as police
and ambulance.
Community Safety Officer
This role focuses on promoting safety messages to
vulnerable people across Kent and Medway, and will often
involve visiting people in their homes to advise on fire
safety.
Pauline Yau has a specific role in working with Kent’s black and
ethnic minority communities. She attends events such as Vaisakhi
and Chinese New Year festivals to highlight the safety message. A
former Chinese community volunteer and a registered interpreter,
Pauline joined Kent Fire and Rescue Service in 2006.
Education Officer
This role involves visiting schools across Kent
and Medway to highlight the dangers of fire, the
consequences of hoax calls and to promote road safety among young
people.
Andrew Pidduck was a firefighter in the Thanet area for 20 years
before taking up this new challenge. He says the children always
enjoy the presentations, but they can come up with some very tough
questions!
Fire
Safety Officer
These specialist officers ensure that the technical fire
safety aspects of building design and use are understood and
followed. Officers engage in activities ranging from
design-stage risk reduction with architects and designers, through
to the enforcement of statutory fire safety requirements in
occupied buildings. In addition they offer advice and guidance to
ensure a clear understanding of - and compliance with, fire safety
legislation.
Julie Oliver works with local businesses and sometimes has to
issue Enforcement Notices to ensure premises are safe for staff and
customers. She also works closely with local authority colleagues,
such as building control. Julie joined Kent Fire and Rescue Service
in 2006 after 14 years in HM Prison Service where she was a senior
prison officer.
Risk Database Manager
Planning for the future and ensuring we adapt our service to the
changing needs of the community are key to providing the best
possible fire and rescue service for the people of Kent and Medway.
Our risk management team analyse a huge range of local data that
includes everything from housing density to changes to roads and
traffic. This is vital to inform the development of the service. It
identifies the areas of the county where risk of fire is greatest,
so we can plan fire cover and focus our community safety
efforts.
As a risk database manager, Jayashree Rangaswamy plays an
important role in this work. She joined Kent Fire and Rescue
Service in January 2007, having come from an academic research
background and with experience in the public sector in insurance
and risk management.
Information Systems Helpdesk Officer
The Information Systems department supports the life critical
systems that we use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. These can
range from navigation units within fire appliances, to
communications and mapping equipment in the emergency control room
and systems that record vital emergency data.
Will Ho joined Kent Fire and Rescue Service in 2009 having
previously worked for the international news agency Reuters in
their IT service centre. Will says he was attracted to work for us
by the sheer variety of the role as well as the chance to play a
part in providing the systems that allow our firefighters to
respond to life threatening emergencies.
Human Resources Officer
The Human Resources team provides a comprehensive
support service to the organsiation in areas such as salary
and contract administration, performance management, transfer,
welfare, retirement and resignation. They ensure these are carried
out efficiently and in accordance with relevant legislation,
KMFRA policy
and procedures and good practice.
Sarah-Jane Page joined us in January 2007 having undertaken
her HR training at a pharmaceutical company. Sarah-Jane enjoys the
diversity of the work and the variety this position offers, as no
two days are the same.