East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) is calling on passionate individuals to step forward and join our dedicated team of wholetime (full time) firefighters. We are looking for enthusiastic and caring individuals who are ready to serve their community, save lives, and make a real difference. Good communication skills are a must and they will need to learn a wide range of technical and practical skills too.
Firefighting is more than just putting out fires; it involves prevention work, community engagement, and responding to a variety of emergencies. If you are dedicated, resilient, and ready for an exciting and rewarding career, we want to hear from you.
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life. Our goal is to build a workforce that truly reflects the diverse communities we serve. Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for a career change or someone seeking a challenging and rewarding new role, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service provides an opportunity to develop valuable skills while serving the public.
“As an organisation, it is our aim to be a powerful advocate for the diverse communities that we serve, to be truly inclusive, and an employer of choice for all,” said Paul Coppard, Group Manager at ESFRS. “We encourage applications from individuals who share our commitment to making a positive impact.”
For more information on how to apply, visit www.esfrs.org or follow us on social media for updates.
The application process will open 14 March 2025 (by 4.30pm) and close on 3 April 2025.
What does a firefighter do?
We make communities safer by working in partnership with others and to reduce death, injury, damage to property and the environment from fire and other emergencies.
Firefighters work in three key areas:
Prevention
We expect our firefighters to work hard to reduce the risk to our communities through education and engagement, delivering Home Safety Visits and working with local partners to run safety events and campaigns. We actively involve local communities wherever possible.
Firefighters need to be able to adapt their way of communicating and engaging with the public to effectively share all different types of safety advice including home fire safety, road safety and drowning prevention.
Protection
This is about reducing the risk to our communities by ensuring that premises covered under fire safety legislation (mainly businesses) are operating safely and within the law and our firefighters have a key role to play in this work, frequently referred to as Business Safety. In reality, this can also include the common areas of some blocks of flats as well as businesses.
Another important aspect of our work is promoting fire safety through education and publicity. It is therefore vital that stations forge close links with their local communities and firefighters take part in a wide range of events and activities designed to raise awareness of fire safety.
Response
We respond, along with our emergency service partners, to help people at a range of emergencies to save life, property and protect the environment.
These include fires in properties, cars and open spaces, road traffic collisions, animal rescue, floods and other natural disasters.
Firefighters have to make a quick assessment of the situation. A house fire may require two fire engines, whereas a commercial or factory fire may involve several more engines, as well as requiring thousands of litres of water and foam, plus the use of specialist equipment, such as cutting and lifting gear, protective suits for use at chemical spills and thermal imaging cameras to help locate victims in smoke filled rooms. There is also the hazard of toxic fumes and heavy smoke. With this in mind, Firefighters always go fully protected, with Breathing Apparatus and personal radio sets to maintain contact with colleagues.