Supporting notes - Wholetime Firefighter application

Thank your downloading the Avon Fire & Rescue Service Wholetime Firefighter Application pack which includes the following elements.

• Wholetime Firefighter job description

• Application form guidance

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1. Job Purpose

1.1 To promote and improve safety awareness and mitigate safety risks within the local community.

1.2 To deliver an operational emergency service to save and preserve endangered life

and property and protect the environment from the effects of hazardous materials. 2. Context and Scope

2.1. You will work as part of a team, responsible to a Crew Manager under the direction and control of a Watch Manager. The Crew Manager will plan, allocate, monitor and review work activities for their team, to ensure they mitigate risk to individuals and the local community, as well as monitor and manage the performance of the team and its members on behalf of the Watch Manager.

2.2. Each Fire Station will present different challenges, with diverse communities and ‘at risk’ individuals, varying resources, specialisms and equipment depending upon the locality. You will be required to move between Stations to broaden your experience and skills and to meet organisational needs. You will be expected to help identify and familiarise yourself with operational risks, community risks and at risk people in the area to which you are assigned. Under the direction of the Crew and Watch Manager you will engage with the community, residents and businesses to raise awareness of and mitigate risks whilst applying the Service values, policies and objectives.

2.3. The role is primarily focussed on

identifying and mitigating risk within the community, particularly through safety education

delivering an emergency service as part of a team, to save and rescue endangered life and protect and save property, in a wide range of situations and possibly hazardous conditions

providing basic treatment and care to casualties where necessary.

2.4. As a very visible representative of the Service, you are required to project an appropriate professional image to the public and other stakeholders at all times, to maintain their confidence, cooperation and support.

Job Title: Firefighter Directorate: Operational Response - Human Resources

Post No: N/A Grade: Firefighter (Trainee, Development and Competent)

Job Description www.avonfire.gov.uk

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3. Main Duties and Responsibilities

National Occupational Standard

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Unit FF1 – Inform and educate your community to improve awareness of safety matters

3.1 Engage with the community, establishing rapport and gaining their confidence, to proactively promote and improve safety awareness, introduce preventative measures and minimise safety risks. This will include carrying out home fire safety visits (HFSV’s) when required

3.2 Deliver effective community safety programmes and provide information, guidance and demonstrations as required.

3.3 Liaise with and support community groups, public bodies and local initiatives in promoting fire safety and preventative measures.

3.4 Assist with the delivery and content of other courses/initiatives/events being run by AF&RS.

3.5 Respond to enquiries and provide authorised information and advice on Fire & Rescue Service matters to the public and the media, within defined guidelines. Contribute to meetings, inside and outside the Service, as required.

3.6 Raise awareness of the role of the Fire & Rescue Service in the community.

Unit FF2 – Take responsibility for effective performance

3.7 Be responsible for your own personal development and effectiveness, including own health and fitness for work, to meet the existing and known future requirements of the post. Make constructive contributions to performance reviews to support continuous improvement, particularly at PDR’s. Take appropriate action to communicate and address development needs and to manage your own time effectively.

3.8 Maintain operational competence by attending periodic training and development programmes, practice drills and exercises, as directed.

3.9 Work effectively as part of a team in pursuit of corporate, directorate and service aims and objectives. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, line managers, other Service staff and external contacts, to improve service efficiency and effectiveness.

3.10 Be sensitive to the needs of others and support and promote equality and diversity, respect and dignity for all staff and members of our local communities, in accordance with Service policies.

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Unit FF3 – Save and preserve endangered life

3.11 Save and rescue endangered life, at fires, road traffic collisions and other incidents, whilst minimising risk to self and others, particularly from hazards including chemical, biological, radiation hazards and adverse environmental conditions.

3.12 Provide basic treatment to casualties and minimise distress and suffering, as necessary, and support other people involved in rescue operations and/or providing specialist treatment.

Unit FF4 – Resolve operational incidents

3.13 Protect and save property from fire whilst minimising risk to self and others during fire-fighting in all conditions, involving materials, chemical, biological and radiation hazards.

3.14 Resolve operational incidents, working as part of a team or individually, to ensure continuing safety of people, property and the community.

3.15 Following appropriate training, use/operate the full range of fire fighting vehicles, equipment and plant to meet operational requirements.

Unit FF5 – Protect the environment from the effects of hazardous materials

3.16 Use your skills and appropriate equipment to minimise actual and potential damage to the environment resulting from incidents involving hazardous materials.

3.17 Decontaminate people and property affected by hazardous materials.

3.18 Support other people involved in hazardous materials incidents, including providing emotional support where necessary. This will include reassuring and comforting people, protecting their privacy and dignity, maintaining security at the scene of an incident and liaison with other agencies.

Unit FF6 – Support effectiveness of operational response

3.19 Assist with the maintenance or collection of relevant information, in accordance with Data Protection legal requirements, to aid decision making, performance review, and the effective management of resources.

3.20 Identify, and familiarise yourself with, operational risks, community risks and at risk people in the local area. This will involve accessing internal data and information, visiting the local community and engaging with individuals and community groups.

3.21 Maintain awareness of operational equipment and of the skills required to operate such equipment safely and effectively.

3.22 Routinely test, maintain and clean fire fighting appliances and equipment and ensure their readiness for emergency calls, and make your line manager aware of perceived problems or deficiencies so that they can be rectified as a matter of priority.

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3.23 Be responsible for the care and safe keeping of personal protective clothing, as issued to you, and report any defects or contamination as soon as possible in order to obtain replacements.

3.24 Inspect and test hydrants within the Fire Station area as required.

Unit FF7 - Support the development of colleagues in the workplace

3.25 Support the development of colleagues in the workplace. Communicate your own skills and knowledge to colleagues through instruction and demonstration, as required, to assist them in achieving the necessary competence.

Unit FF8 – Contribute to safety solutions to minimise risks to your community

3.26 Contribute to finding and applying safety solutions to minimise risks to the community. Inspect premises to minimise safety risks to people, property and the environment, and produce written or verbal reports on issues arising.

Unit FF9 – Drive, manoeuvre and re-deploy fire service vehicles

3.27 Drive, manoeuvre and redeploy fire service vehicles and plant to meet operational requirements. Carry out routine maintenance checks of vehicles and plant and top –up fuel, oil, water and other fluid levels to the required level, to ensure operational readiness. Maintain any associated records as directed.

General

3.28 You are expected to maintain personal competence in accordance with the National Occupational Standard Role Maps. (See summary attached) You must also present a positive image of our Authority at all times.

3.29 You are required to adopt and apply the ‘Core Values in the Fire & Rescue Service’ to the way in which you carry out your duties and responsibilities. [See relevant Personal Qualities & Attributes attached]

3.30 You must ensure you are aware of and comply with Operational Procedures and instructions, and carry out all duties in accordance with Community Safety policies and other relevant AF&RS policies and procedures, some of which are highlighted below.

3.31 You must be aware of Health and Safety Regulations in relation to duties and tasks being undertaken and must report any situations or incidents which could be considered hazardous. All employees are responsible for their own safety and must not endanger that of colleagues/visitors in the workplace or the public.

3.32 As an employee of AF&RS, we require all staff and supervisors to promote equality and diversity: You must

ensure that, both in your dealings with other employees and with members of the public, you comply with all aspects of the Service’s Equality Policy and legislation that outlaws discrimination

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treat members of the public and other AF&RS staff with respect and dignity at all times

take action on witnessing an act that could be considered discrimination or harassment, challenging it and/or raising with managers.

3.33 Ensure you perform all duties in accordance with the principles and requirements of Data Protection legislation.

3.34 This Job Description contains only the main accountabilities relating to your post and does not describe in detail all the duties required to carry them out. You may also be required to perform other duties appropriate to the post, within the context of the National Occupational Standard Role Map for a Firefighter.

For official use only:

Effective Date: Line Manager Signature:

To be signed by postholder:

Received: Date:

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EMERGENCY FIRE SERVICES

FIREFIGHTER NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS

NOS UNIT

Role Specific Responsibilities As part of these responsibilities you will be required to -

FF1 Inform and educate your community to improve awareness of safety matters

Promote safety matters to inform your community Facilitate learning through demonstration and

instruction

FF2 Take responsibility for effective performance

Take responsibility for effective performance Establish and maintain effective working relationships

with people Develop your own skills to improve your performance

FF3 Save and preserve endangered life Conduct a search to locate life involved in incidents Rescue life involved in incidents Provide treatment to casualties Support people involved in rescue operations

FF4 Resolve operational incidents Control and extinguish fires Resolve incidents other than those involving a fire or

hazardous materials Support people involved in an operational incident

FF5 Protect the environment from the effects of hazardous materials

Mitigate damage to the environment from hazardous materials

Decontaminate people and property affected by hazardous materials

Support people involved in hazardous materials incidents

FF6 Support effectiveness of operational response

Collect information on risks in your community Collect information on resources in your community Maintain internal resources

FF7 Support the development of colleagues in the workplace

Communicate your own skills and knowledge to colleagues

Support development of colleagues

FF8 Contribute to fire safety solutions to minimise risks to your community

Inspect premises to minimise risks to people, property and the environment

Report on issues arising from an inspection

FF9 Drive, manoeuvre and redeploy fire service vehicles

Drive vehicles to incidents Manoeuvre, site and redeploy vehicles

Personal Qualities and Attributes

Personal Style

Commitment to Diversity and Integrity

Understands and respects diversity and adopts a fair and ethical approach to others

Openness to Change Is open to change and actively seeks to support it

Confidence and Resilience Maintains a confident and resilient attitude in highly challenging situations

Interpersonal Skills

Working with Others Works effectively with others both within the Fire and Rescue Service and in the community

Effective Communication Communicates effectively both orally and in writing

Commitment to Development Committed and able to develop self and others

Working with

Information

Problem Solving Understands, recalls, applies and adapts relevant information in an organised, safe and systematic way

Situational Awareness Maintains an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working

Organisational Effectiveness

Commitment to Excellence Adopts a conscientious and proactive approach to work to achieve and maintain excellent standards

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Avon Fire & Rescue Service Values Integrity Upholding our principles.

Trust Relying on our colleagues without question or doubt. The public having confidence in our abilities.

Respect Respecting people and property. Having consideration for their feelings and belongings, and treating them with value and care.

Learning Continually learning from every experience so that we’re better prepared for the next situation.

Can-do A positive approach to problems.

Openness Be willing to accept new ideas and be approachable

Our values may mean different things to different people. We asked our staff what the values mean to them and some of their definitions are contained above.

Wholetime Firefighter Application Guidance

Thank you for expressing an interest in applying to join Avon Fire & Rescue Service as a firefighter. Please read the following guidance to ensure your application is completed correctly and accepted.

Pre-application check lists Before you begin your application you should complete the pre-application checklists to help you decide whether you are likely to enjoy working as a firefighter and to ensure you have fully considered all of the elements of the role. These checklists are for your use only and do not need to be returned with your application form.

Application form The application form will be available to download from our website from Tuesday 2 May 2017, and the closing date for completed applications is 5.00pm on Monday 8 May 2017. You can complete your application in one of two ways, either:

a) complete the application online and print when finished, or b) download and print the application, and complete it by hand.

Please note it may be easier for you to type the form online as you can then save it and make changes if necessary. It may also be easier for us to read and assess your form if it is typed. However, it is up to you to determine your preferred method.

Section 1 This section of the form covers your personal details, including address, driving licence details, education and qualifications and criminal/driving convictions. We will use this information to check you meet our essential criteria so it is important you fill this in carefully and accurately. All information you provide will be checked and verified during the selection process. Age at time of training – It is a requirement that you are 18 years of age or above by the beginning of firefighter training on 23 October 2017. Email address - Our preferred method of contact with you is by email therefore it is important you provide your email address as clearly as possible and that you regularly check your email inbox (and ‘junk’ folder) through the selection process. If you require communication by post please indicate this where prompted on the form. Eligibility to work in the UK – It is your responsibility to ensure you are eligible to work in the UK at application stage. If you are unsure you should refer to the Home Office UK Visas & Immigration Website. We will check eligibility at job offer stage.

Medical information - Any information you provide in this section will be held in confidence, and we will contact you as soon as possible to discuss your needs. Human Resources are unable to advise if a medical condition would preclude you from becoming a firefighter, we would need comprehensive medical advice from our Occupational Health Doctor to help us make this assessment. Avon Fire & Rescue Service is compliant with the Equality Act and if you have a disability or a significant health condition we would assess if it is possible for reasonable adjustments to be made to enable you to work safely as a firefighter. Dyslexia - If you have Dyslexia this will not preclude you from applying. Many existing firefighters have Dyslexia and we offer support and, where required, provide adjustments to assist within the workplace. We recognise that Dyslexia can bring many benefits and different skills. You will need to provide proof of your formal Dyslexia assessment (conducted by an appropriate qualified professional) to have any adjustments made within the selection process (for example during the written tests). You should be aware that the role of firefighter requires you to read and retain a lot of information on policies, standard procedures, safety information and so on. There is also a lot of academic study, both on the training course and during employment. Qualifications - Please provide details of your qualifications in this section. If you can provide evidence that you possess GCSEs grade A-C (or equivalent) in English and Maths you will not be required to take the full suite of written tests; you will only be required to take the Situational Awareness and Problem Solving Test. If this is the case, a photocopy of your GCSEs in English and Maths must be provided along with your application form, and the original documents produced at your written test session. Criminal/driving convictions - If you have a previous criminal record this will not necessarily disqualify you from employment with Avon Fire & Rescue Service. If your criminal conviction is spent you do not need to declare this on your application form; you are only required to declare any convictions for offences that are not yet spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act. This includes offences dealt with by a court of law, HM services disciplinary procedures, and any driving offences. You must also tell us immediately if you are charged with an offence after you submit your application form and before you take up any job offer. We will consider unspent convictions on a case by case basis and will assess your age when the event occurred, the nature of the conviction and whether this is likely to have any impact upon your employment when we reach a decision. If you do not know if a conviction is spent it is your responsibility to check this with a relevant organisation such as the Probation Service or the National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NACRO). Alternatively there are many organisations online which provide advice, for example www.cleansheet.org.uk. You should be aware that certain convictions are never spent (for example more than four years in prison). Failure to disclose an unspent conviction will result in your application or employment being terminated if this information comes to light at a later stage.

Your driving licence will be checked and any unspent convictions or endorsements found on your licence that have not been declared on your application form could result in your application being rejected, depending on the nature of the offence. This refers to all driving offences, including speeding. We will accept no more than three points on your licence. Driving licence - It is essential you possess a full UK driving licence at the point of applying and have access to a vehicle. This is because you will be required to attend selection tests at various venues, most of which are not easily accessible by public transport. If you are appointed you will be required to work at any fire station in the area and on occasion travel to other stations.

Section 2 This section requires you to demonstrate your knowledge of the work of the fire and rescue service, the role of a firefighter, and the skills you possess which would make you suitable for the role. It is worth doing some research to ensure you understand the full role of a firefighter, and consider the skills you possess that demonstrate your suitability for the job. This is a really important part of the form and we encourage you to prepare for this as soon as possible. You must be clear and concise and structure your statement in a logical format, using bullet points or headings to ensure the information you provide is clear. There is an absolute maximum word count of 1,500 however as a guide you should be able to provide sufficient evidence within around 1,000 words.

Section 3 This section requires you to provide the name and contact details of a person we can contact for a reference. This person could be a teacher, community worker or employer, but if you have been in work or are currently employed your referee must be your current or most recent employer. Your referee will only be contacted if you are provisionally offered employment with Avon Fire & Rescue Service. It is important to note we will not accept friends or relatives as a referee.

Section 4 Please do not forget to sign and date your application.

Section 5 This section asks if you would be interested in other opportunities within Avon Fire & Rescue Service and, if so, if you are happy for us to hold your contact details on file and notify you of potential suitable opportunities. This section is voluntary and not assessed as part of the selection process. Your application form will be shortlisted by staff trained to only use the information on the application form. We can assure you no other factors will be taken into account when shortlisting. We are committed to ensuring equality of treatment and consistency within our decision making. If you are successfully shortlisted you will be

invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process (written tests and informal discussion).

Equal opportunities monitoring information form The information on this form is for monitoring purposes only and will not be seen by those assessing your application form, it will be separated upon receipt. The information supplied will be treated in strictest confidence and will not affect your application in any way. Completion of this monitoring form is voluntary but the information you provide will help us to ensure equality of opportunity.

To be included with your application You must include the following documents with your application form:

a) If relevant, a photocopy of your qualification certificates (GCSEs grade A-C English and Maths or equivalent).

b) A photocopy of a recent document (dated after 1 February 2017) with your name and address on it as proof of your permanent residence (for example a bill, paper copy of your driving licence or an official Government letter (School/ College, Tax Office, Benefits Agency, Doctor and so on).

c) A photocopy of your driving licence.

The original copy of the above documents will be required if you are invited to take the written tests.

Sending us your application Please read the following to ensure your application is received in time and is accepted by us.

Only send a paper copy of your application and enclosures, do not submit this by email as it will not be accepted.

Place your application and enclosures in an envelope and mark the envelope ‘Wholetime Firefighter Application’.

To deliver your application, either:

a) Post it to Human Resources, Avon Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters, Temple Back, Bristol, BS1 6EU (by tracked post/courier if possible), or

b) Deliver it by hand to Reception at the same address.

Applications delivered in person at Service Headquarters should be handed to a member of staff in Reception during office hours (8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday). If delivering outside of office hours, place your application in the letter box to the left of the main entrance doors.

If posting your application by Royal Mail please ensure you apply sufficient postage. If insufficient postage is applied and there is outstanding postage to be paid, Avon Fire & Rescue Service will not pay this and your application will not be delivered.

Applications received after 5.00pm on Monday 8 May 2017 will not be accepted.

It is your responsibility to ensure your application arrives on time.

Important to note Application

You must complete your application form in full, stating ‘not applicable’ or ‘n/a’ where appropriate, leave no section blank.

We recommend you read through your completed application carefully to ensure you have not missed anything out and that it is clearly and accurately presented. The decision to progress your application will be based on the information you give us on the form.

We recommend you keep a copy of your application in case you need this later.

Due to the large number of applications we expect to receive, we will be unable to acknowledge receipt of your application or deal with e-mail or telephone enquiries about your application during this time period.

It is important you notify us immediately should the information you provide on your application form change following submission, as this might affect your application.

Documents Throughout the selection process you will be required to produce a variety of documents and these are listed below. You may want to spend some time gathering these items to avoid any unnecessary delays. You will be advised which documents are required when being invited to each stage of the selection process.

Your UK driving licence.

Birth Certificate or Passport.

Original evidence of your National Insurance Number.

Original recent official document confirming your home address.

Any necessary evidence to enable us to make reasonable adjustments to our selection process (for example Dyslexia).

Original evidence of change of name.

Original evidence of relevant qualifications.

Forms During the selection process you will be required to complete and return a number of forms, and by a deadline. It is important you check your e-mail regularly and submit these forms on time so that any necessary actions can be taken by us before your test date(s). Invitations When being invited to each stage of the selection process you will be provided with relevant guidance and clear instructions on what you need to do to prepare. On each occasion you will be required to confirm your intention to attend and it is important that you do this so that we can make the necessary arrangements for you. If you do not confirm your attendance the assumption will be made that you are not attending and your place may be offered to another applicant. Dress code We want you to feel comfortable during our selection process. We have no dress code however you may wish to consider how you present yourself, particularly at the informal discussion and interview stages. When being invited to the fitness and physical tests you will be provided with details of the appropriate mode of dress. Good luck with your application.