Fire sector jobs

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) is pleased to invite applications for the role of Wholetime Watch Commander. HWFRS is a forward thinking and dynamic organisation looking for talented, positive and inspirational individuals to join our team across 28 locations stretching east to west from the Cotswolds to the mid-Wales border, and from the Wyre Forest National Nature Reserve in the north, to the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in the south – with the Malvern Hills AONB right at the heart of the two counties.

Our stations are crewed by a mix of Wholetime and On-Call Firefighters, supported by Fire Control staff and Support Staff. We attend just over 6,500 incidents each year – more than 125 incidents every week – including property and countryside fires, RTCs and water and animal rescues, sometimes assisted by our USAR colleagues.

Our Mission is that ‘as one professional team, we will work hard every day to deliver a high-quality, sustainable service to our communities’ and that together we will make a difference by improving lives, helping to secure resilient communities and ultimately, ‘Saving More Lives’.

This opportunity is open to anyone who is a current UK Local Authority, competent Wholetime or On Call Crew Commander or role above. Positions are available in a variety of functional and station based roles with a variety of duty systems on offer. Duty systems include the 7 day Flexi-Time System (42 Hour Day Duty), 12-Hour Day Duty System and Wholetime 224 Duty System.

In order to apply, you must meet the following criteria at the point of application:

•  Have had an IPDR in the last 12 months 
• Not have any live formal disciplinary sanctions
• Not be in a formal capability process
• Be medically fit to undertake the role (current fitness test and 3 yearly medical)

Please see the Watch Commander job description and person specification on the apply button below, for further information about the role.

Please note, the majority of vacancies will be station based Watch Commander A roles. There may however be a limited number of department based Watch Commander B roles, which would be discussed with successful applicants at the culmination of the process.

Selection process

The selection process will be as follows: 

• an online application form 
• role play assessment
• a pre-prepared presentation and an interview 
• Incident Command assessment (where appropriate) 
• a fitness test
• a medical assessment 
• pre-employment checks

Shortlisting shall take place following the application stage as detailed within the candidate guidance document. Successful external candidates will be required to attend a conversion course training programme. Successful applicants who are not appointed initially may be placed on a holding list for up to 24 months until further vacancies arise.

General information

If you have any questions regarding the process or you are experiencing any difficulties with your application, please contact the HR Support team via recruitment@hwfire.org.uk before the closing date (Friday 29th January at 12:00 noon). HWFRS values equality of opportunity and developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our community. We encourage everyone who has the necessary skills and experience to apply. 

Health and Safety Executive is at the centre of the plans to establish a new Building Safety Regulator that will be responsible for implementing and enforcing a more stringent regulatory regime for High Risk Buildings, as well as providing wider and stronger oversight of safety and performance across all buildings and increasing the competence of those working on building safety.

Later this year, the first part of the new regulatory regime, Planning Gateway One will ‘go live’. This involves HSE becoming a Statutory Consultee under planning legilsation for buildings that will be in scope of the new regime.

As a member of the Fire Safety Planning Application team, you will play a key part in supporting the delivery of the Statutory Consultee role

This role will involve the assessment of fire statements produced by fire engineers working for developers on matters related to Land Use Planning and the production of a substantive response, taking advice from other technical experts or local Fire and Rescue Services as appropriate.

To submit an Expression of Interest, send the following information to Molly.Arscott@nationalfirechiefs.org.uk:

Name

Current Role

Current Fire & Rescue Service

Fire Safety Qualifications

Confirmation that you have permission of your Chief Fire Officer

You must have the approval of your Chief Fire Officer for a secondment to the Health & Safety Executive before applying.

For further information contact Nicholas.Coombe@nationalfirechiefs.org.uk

Job description

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is a dynamic and forward looking organisation seeking expressions of interest from anyWholetime competent Firefighter, Crew or Watch Managers (currently employed by a UK Local Authority Fire Service on a Wholetime contract) who are interested in transferring to Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service and wish to be considered for any upcoming inter-service transfer (IST) processes once they open.

As our Inter-Service Transfer process is currently under review, we also welcome expression of interest forms from on-call Firefighters (currently employed by a UK Local Authority Fire Service).

Please Note: This is an expression of interest only. At this time, on-call Firefighters are still required to apply via our current Wholetime vacancies.

to live and work in the UK - Have a full UK 'Category B' driving licence - Have a basic swimming ability and water confidence that will enable you to work safely in water rescue situations (must be able to demonstrate if required) - Be able to demonstrate reading, writing and numerical skills to meet the requirements of the role

Please Note:

- All Wholetime applicants must be conditioned to a permanent wholetime duty system, working an average of 42 hours per week

- This is NOT an IST application form. By expressing your interest this will enable us to contact you as soon as a IST application process opens

- This is for substantive transfers only and is not a promotion process

Are you committed to making Greater Manchester a safer place? If so there has never been a better time to join our expanding fire safety teams as a Fire Safety Inspector.

Our core purpose to ensure the safety of the public and firefighters by identifying, investigating and reducing risk. We work with others to identify risks and develop solutions to improve safety through engagement, advice and enforcement The landscape of fire safety regulation is changing, the fire at Grenfell Tower has had far reaching implications and means the way we consider risk in buildings needs to change along with the way we engage with those we regulate. New legislation is on its way and the scale of development in Greater Manchester means we need to increase our engagement with businesses.

About us

This is an exciting time to join our GMFRS Protection Department as we work to improve our service in line with HMICFRS recommendations, find new ways of developing our staff and continue to deliver core fire safety enforcement and business support activities. We are investing in fire safety teams to ensure that we have an agile workforce capable of responding quickly and effectively to risk and that we deliver an effective regulatory function which is accessible, effective, targeted and proportionate.

About the roles

As a competent Fire Safety Inspector your core role will be to inspect premises and provide advice and guidance to responsible persons and take enforcement action where necessary. You will play an integral role in engaging with businesses and developing GMFRS colleagues – this may be through delivering training and presentations, arranging events or working on guidance.

You will work with partners to ensure that fire safety for the public and firefighters is considered through their work – this may be responding to consultations, developing new ways of working or participating in multi-agency initiatives.

These are career graded positions which mean that you can develop in role as a fire safety practitioner in line with the new Competency Framework for Fire Safety Regulators developed by the National Fire Chiefs Council and apply for SFSI role if competences and qualifications meet the role criteria.

About you

The successful candidates will be qualified to a minimum of Level 4 Diploma in Fire Safety, possess an understanding of the issues relating to the fire and rescue service and the built environment and be committed to diversity, inclusion and staff engagement. You will also be required to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work as part of a high performing team in accordance with GMFRS core values. If you have the right qualifications, excellent communication skills, the ability to think analytically, problem solve and can plan and manage a busy workload then you have the right skills to be part of our team. If you can evidence that you can work as part of a team and in partnership, develop relationships with partners, have a co-operative and flexible approach to work and have identified and delivered service improvements then you have the right experience to apply for our roles as Senior/Fire Safety Inspector.

More about us:-

As an employer, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is made up of a number of key Greater Manchester strategic functions and service providers including; Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS); Waste and Recourses; Environment; Work and Skills; Research; Public Sector Reform; Police, Crime and Criminal Justice; Homelessness; the Greater Manchester Ageing Hub and the Commissioning Hub.

We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.

Find out more about working for us please copy and paste in your browser: https://www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/

Our Offer & Benefits:

In return for your hard work, we offer our employees a competitive package as part of our offer which includes; Flexible working conditions The ability to accrue 2 flexi days every 4 weeks (up to grade 11) Family friendly policies including parental leave (maternity, shared parental, adoption, maternity support) Ability to buy additional annual leave Generous Annual leave scheme - 25 days + Bank Holidays per annum upon starting, after 5 years service increase to 30 days + BH and after 10 years service increase to 32 days +BH. Local Government Pension Scheme Employer investment in training and development, and professional sponsorship including CPD Corporate travel loans Cycle scheme Discount scheme (MiRewards) on local and national high street brands Health and wellbeing offer - Occupational Health and Employee Assistance programme Modern city centre offices (role specific) Sports and welfare club Commitment to diversity and inclusivity with 4 active staff networks for; "LGBTA", "BAME", "Disability" and "Women"

The GMCA is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, Trans status and Non-binary identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Employees on the redeployment register will be given priority for any vacancies in the first instance. If employees are identified as a match from the register then the vacancy may be withdrawn or put on hold pending an outcome.

COVID-19:

Please also note, due to COVID-19 and the social distancing guidance, all interviews will be taking place virtually on Microsoft Teams or Skype.

For more guidance and hints and tips for remote interviewing see our website: https://www.greater.jobs/content/10275/our-top-tips-for-video-interviews

If successful on application, the hiring manager will be in contact so that you can both test the technology before the interview. The GMCA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects staff to share this commitment. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and will require disclosure of all convictions including those considered spent under the Act. The role holder will be subject to an Standard level check by the Disclosure & Barring Service.