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As a fire service officer, you’ll be involved in a variety of firefighting activities, saving people from emergency situations. You’ll work with the local community, educating people on fire safety. Keep reading to learn about a career as a fire service officer and to find out how to become one.
Generally, career development goes hand-in-hand with how much experience you have and how good you are at the job. You need lots of experience in real-life fire situations before advancing in your career.
You’re likely to start out as a junior firefighter, before getting promoted to more senior roles, such as crew manager and then watch manager, where you’ll have more responsibilities and a team under you.
Self-employment is an option if you decide to work as a retained firefighter. These are firefighters who are on-call but not based at a fire station.
Initial firefighter training takes up to 18 weeks to complete and is intensive. After this training, you’ll begin a development programme that takes up to two years.
Continued professional development (CPD) is expected throughout your career and includes attending lectures, exercises, training and conferences to increase your skills.
Professional organisations you could join include the British Fire Services Association (BFSA) and the Fire Protection Association (FPA).
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