Applicants must provide a permanent home or work location address to respond from. The employer address must be that of your permanent employer, someone to whom you are contracted to work for. You must provide written evidence from this employer that they have agreed to you being able to respond from their address and that they are in agreement that you undertake the duties we require.

You must be operationally ready at the station within five minutes of being called out. For example, 3 to 3.5 minutes travelling to station, 2 minutes to get changed and away.

If your home or work address changes while you are applying to become an on-call firefighter you must inform us immediately. Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) will assess on an individual basis whether or not the applicant meets the response requirement. The decision made by KFRS is final and will result in the application not being taken forward to the next stage of selection. There is no right of appeal in regards to the decision made by KFRS.

Initial Training – Stage 1 

Once you have been offered and accepted your contract of employment, you will be invited to start your initial training. This will comprise:

• a two-day Induction course (16 hours), which is normally held over a weekend (courses are non-residential). 
• a programme of e-learning and practical skills on station for approximately 6 weeks in preparation for attending the 10-day foundation course.
• a 10-day foundation course. The purpose of the Foundation Module is to ensure that you are safe to act as part of a supervised crew on the fireground (the scene of a fire). It covers the basics and is an introduction to equipment, terminology and procedures. Following successful completion of this module, you can attend incidents as part of the crew and assist in activities that you have been trained to do.

When you are offered your initial training date, you will be provided with the dates of the foundation element and you will need to commit to both elements of this initial training programme. You will be offered a choice of dates (where possible KFRS will publish these dates in advance on the website).  

You will receive payment for attending your initial training ‘Stage 1’. This payment is based on the National Joint Council's (NJC) Local Authorities' Fire Services firefighter trainee hourly rate of pay. 

Attending and completion of the initial training will include:

• 2 days  (16 hours paid ) induction course – normally held at a KFRS training facility.
• 7 hours paid self-study required prior to foundation course.
• 18 hours paid for guided learning that you will complete with the station between Induction and foundation.
• 10 days (80 hours paid ) foundation training – normally held at a KFRS training facility.

Please be aware that failure to commit to and or attend one of the courses offered within a suitable time frame (unless there are exceptional circumstances determined by our HR (Human Resources) team and a member of the Operational Group Management team), may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn. Where KFRS has cancelled the course, this will not apply.
KFRS reserves the right to cancel a course at any time, but every effort will be made to provide as much notice as possible to applicants.

Unsuccessful completion of initial training course

Failure to complete or reach the required standard during the initial training (to include: induction, guided learning and foundation course), will place you under KFRS's capability procedures, which could result in termination of your contract of employment. These procedures can be provided upon request to HR.

Successful completion of the initial training course, continuous learning and development 

When the initial training is successfully completed you will:

• become a Stage 2 development firefighter and receive the NJC Development rate of pay. 
• be enrolled as a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE) and enrolled on to the Level 2 Certificate programme after completing your first year to gain an understanding of operational matters. Completion of this will be by sitting and passing the IFE exam.
• embark upon a development programme to become a competent firefighter, which offers a continuous development programme to ensure you are prepared to take an active part in fire service operations at station level.

Training courses

There are several training courses that you will need to undertake before you are assessed as competent and can carry out some of the more complex activities that are part of a firefighter's daily work. Individuals will be paid to attend the following formal courses: 

Initial breathing apparatus (IBA) course

This course teaches you to use breathing apparatus (BA) safely in operational situations involving activities in irrespirable atmospheres (atmospheres where it is unsafe to breathe) and fire situations.

First aid (FA) course

This course teaches you how to provide first aid to casualties who have been injured at incidents that we attend. This will include administering oxygen and the use of defibrillators. This course must be completed before you can attend the RTC course below.

Road traffic collision (RTC) course

This course teaches you the techniques needed for incidents where people are trapped in vehicles. It also teaches you how to use the operational RTC equipment safely and effectively.

Throughout your development phase at station, you will complete an electronic development programme identifying your progress. There will also be key benchmark assessments, including assessment days at 12 and 24 months.

Following a review of your application form, to ensure you meet the eligibility criteria we will contact you to progress your application to the online testing stage of the process.

As part of the recruitment process, we will be using online psychometric assessments. These assessments help to provide more information about how your skills and behaviours match those required for the role of a firefighter.  Research has shown that people who match well in these assessments tend to both perform better in the role of a firefighter and enjoy the role more.

Details of the assessment along with guidance to support your application and the assessment will be sent to you by email after you have completed and passed stage one.

You will be required to  complete a verbal reasoning assessment later in the process.

If you are successful in the previous stages of the selection process, you will be invited to attend the fitness and practical assessments. Kent Fire and Rescue Service takes health, safety, and wellbeing very seriously. As a result, we will ask you to take part in a fitness survey before we allow you to participate in any form of physical activity or role-related assessment. A link to the survey will be emailed to you after you have completed stage two. For your preparation, a detailed fitness guide is available on our webpage. If you're new to exercising regularly, it's recommended to start with 2-3 fitness sessions per week and gradually increase the frequency and intensity as your physical capacity improves.

View our fitness guide

Practical assessments

Ladder lift/lower simulation

Ladder pull

Ladder climb

Working in confined spaces

Equipment assembly

Fitness assessment

The role of a firefighter can be physically demanding. Firefighters are required to be aerobically fit, have good all-round body strength and stamina. As a result, the entry selection tests are designed to reflect the actual physical tasks that firefighters are required to perform.

Good exercise training advice is highly specific to the individual. To understand your fitness levels you’re advised to seek individual advice, specific to your needs, from a qualified fitness professional.

If you are in any doubt about your health or physical ability to exercise, consult your doctor before you commence physical activity. This is especially important if you are pregnant (or think you may be), have not exercised for the last six-months or had a recent illness or injury.

As part of our assessment process, we will use the Kent Fire and Rescue Services behaviours to assess you.

Part of the process includes an interview which will last approximately one hour and will be held at one of our Kent Fire and Rescue Service buildings.

During your interview you will be asked a variety of questions and your answers will be used to assess you against our leadership behaviours. Questions will be focused around cultural sensitivity/awareness, integrity, teamwork, empathy, reliability, communication skills and equality, diversity and inclusion.

Group Exercise 

Working as a team is an important part of the role, you will be asked to participate in a group exercise so that we can assess your skills in this area. This exercise does not require you to have any previous experience as a firefighter. Further information will be provided to you on the day. 

After the interview stage, we will need you to undertake a medical. The medical will be carried out by the Fire and Rescue Service medical adviser and is to assess your general level of health, including weight, blood pressure and lung function. Candidates will also have a hearing test and an eyesight test.

A report may also be required from a hospital where you have received treatment, or from an independent specialist if the service medical adviser requires it. Your consent is required to access these records and it is a condition for your progression through the selection process that this consent is given as requested.

As part of the process we will also discuss with you in more detail what availability you have to be on-call for us.  The times you can offer are as important as the hours, and will need to match our requirements. 

As a Public Sector organisation with added responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010, you must demonstrate an understanding of what is meant by ‘Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ and how this fits in with your everyday work. 

As part of the application process please tell us if you have a disability and give details on any adjustments you wish to be considered as part of the selection process.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service strives to develop a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community, which in turn helps to improve our services. We encourage everyone who has the necessary skills and experience to apply.

To ensure equity in our recruitment processes, you will be asked to complete equality monitoring information. This information will be separated from your application, treated in the strictest confidence and will not be made available to people involved in the selection process. The purpose of collecting this data enables us to support you to perform to the best of your ability.

Our team of assessors do not have access to your personal details.

• About your primary employer

If you have a main job (known as your primary employment), you will be required to provide details of this employment to us.

Employment with KFRS is regarded as secondary employment. You will be required to provide us details of your employment. Your employer will be asked by us to complete a consent form for you to undertake secondary employment with us. We will share information about any employment with KFRS with your employer on request.

KFRS will identify whether the nature of your primary employment has any potential conflict based on the Authority's obligations relating to working time and driving, health and safety legislation. You must inform your primary employer that you are applying to become an on-call firefighter.

You must consider the rest time between your primary and secondary employment when offering your availability to us.

Question: Is your primary job as a full time driver? ie. do you drive a goods vehicle which exceeds 3.5 tonnes or a passenger vehicle which carries more than 9 persons.

If you have answered yes to this question it is important that you seek guidance from your primary employer; where driving is primary to your role this may disqualify you from undertaking secondary employment.