Who’d have thought that fighting fires would be the last one on our list.

If your acquired skills and life experiences have given you all the things on our list, then we want to hear from you. Don’t worry, we’ll look after getting you ready for the last one.

SFRS is not currently recruiting for wholetime firefighters at this time. Please check back or follow us on social to be notifed when the next window opens.

Who’d have thought that fighting fires would be the last one on our list.

If your acquired skills and life experiences have given you all the things on our list, then we want to hear from you. Don’t worry, we’ll look after getting you ready for the last one.

SFRS is not currently recruiting for wholetime firefighters at this time. Please check back or follow us on social to be notifed when the next window opens.

Myth Busting

There are a lot of myths about becoming a firefighter. Read below to separate the facts from the fiction!

You have to be really tall

Myth! There are no height restrictions to become a firefighter.

It's not possible with a young family

Myth! Lots of our team are parents and being a firefighter fits perfectly around them.

You have to be incredibly fit

Partial myth - You do have to be prepared to put the work in but there’s guidance available for our fitness tests.

All they do is put out fires

Myth! We go to various incidents including RTC’s, chemical jobs and water rescue. We also work on fire prevention.

The role of a firefighter

A wholetime firefighter is someone who has a full-time job with Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service.

The role of a firefighter is rewarding. They respond to fires, rescues and other emergencies, as well as working on prevention through education and fire safety messages.

Everyone at Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service prides themselves on putting our community first. This includes:

carrying out home safety checks or visiting businesses to explain about fire safety
making people of all ages and from different backgrounds aware of fire prevention and road safety
attending open days and events

What are we looking for?

Here are some of the qualities and attributes we look for in a firefighter:

To be trustworthy and reliable

Able to understand and respect diversity and adopt a fair and ethical approach to others

You are open to change and actively seek to support it

An effective communicator, both verbally and in writing

Willing to work scheduled shifts including nights, weekends and public holidays

Able to understand, retain, apply & adapt relevant information in an organised, safe & systematic way

Able to work effectively with others, both within the fire and rescue service and the community

Able to maintain an active awareness of the environment to promote safe and effective working

Be committed to work and able to develop yourself and others

Able to adopt a conscientious and proactive approach to work to achieve excellent standards

Able to maintain a confident and resilient attitude in highly challenging situations

How to apply