Three new wholetime firefighters have joined East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service after successfully completing their 16-week training course.
The trainees, from our previous wholetime recruitment process, have undertaken and successfully completed a collaborative wholetime firefighter course at Wray Park in Reigate, Surrey, working alongside trainees from numerous other fire and rescue services.
About the training
The course commenced in January 2025 and has included training in Pumps and Ladders, First Aid and Immediate Emergency Care, Fire Investigation, Road Traffic Collision, Breathing Apparatus, Hazardous Materials, Water Awareness and Tactical Ventilation.
The Trainees have also undertaken a comprehensive consolidation training program supported by instructors from Service Training Centre, Maresfield, where they completed further Water Rescue training, Safe Working at Height training, Safeguarding training as well as other various ESFRS familiarisation activities such as Foam Firefighting and Ship alongside Firefighting.
Pass-Out Ceremony
The Pass-Out ceremony took place at Wray Park in Reigate on Sunday 27th April 2025.
Our new firefighters are:
Ashley Paine – Posted to Green Watch, Bohemia Road.
James Cotterill - Posted to White Watch, Roedean.
James Harriss- Posted to Red Watch, Hove.
All three have demonstrated exceptional commitment and determination throughout their training. Their hard work and dedication have equipped them with the necessary knowledge and expertise to support the vital work of ESFRS in ensuring the safety and well-being of our communities.
It takes a huge amount of commitment and effort to get this far. The firefighters should be proud of their achievements and will be an asset to the Service and the communities we serve.
We wish them every success in their future careers with East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.
Special thanks to the families and friends of our new firefighters who have helped and supported them during this process.
Interested in a career in the fire service?
Although our most recent wholetime recruitment applications have now closed, we are currently recruiting for On-Call firefighters!
We offer various roles within the Service – from firefighters and managers to finance, HR, and procurement experts.
Our dedicated staff are passionate about serving communities and creating safer people and places. If you share this passion for making East Sussex and Brighton and Hove safer, explore our current vacancies at: Careers | East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
