The fire and rescue service is searching for people who can combine a passion to protect and help the communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with the drive to learn and use lifesaving skills.
No prior firefighting experience is needed to join as full training is provided. Having a workforce of different backgrounds, experiences, life skills and approaches helps us to deliver a better service and make our community even safer.
To kick off the recruitment process there will be a series of open days in May and June to help people find out more about the role. People attending the events will be given an overview of the recruitment process, a tour of a fire station, meet current operational staff, and have the chance to try out parts of the practical assessments.
Alongside its general recruitment open days, the Service is hosting two female focused events this year aimed at encouraging more women to consider firefighter as a career. At these events you can speak to serving female firefighters about their experiences and fitness advisors will be on hand at the events to offer targeted fitness advice.
Chief Fire Officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, said:
“We recognise that firefighting isn’t necessarily a career that many women would initially consider, and this is shown by the fact that nationally only around 9% of firefighters are women.
“Being a good firefighter means that you’re calm under pressure, it means you’re decisive, it means you’re good at problem-solving, you’re good at communicating, you’re good at working in a team. Absolutely none of those qualities is determined by gender. I would encourage anyone who has a strong sense of community and wants to have a role that is challenging and full of variety to consider firefighting.”
Come and find out what it’s like to be a firefighter. Each recruitment event is three hours long and there will be a 10am and 2pm session to choose from.
Booking is essential and booking information for each event will be on our website events pages and shared via our social channels a week before each open day. You can also sign up to our careers list to be notified when bookings are open.
Save the dates.
| Date | Station | Date booking opens |
| Saturday 9th May | Rushmoor | 10am Friday 1st May |
| Saturday 16th May | Ryde | 10am Friday 8th May |
| Saturday 23rd May | Cosham | 10am Friday 15th May |
| Sunday 24th May | Cosham (Female focused) | 10am Friday 15th May |
| Saturday 30th May | Basingstoke | 10am Friday 22nd May |
| Sunday 7th June | Andover | 10am Friday 29th May |
| Saturday 13th June | St Marys | 10am Friday 5th June |
| Sunday 21st June | Southsea | 10am Friday 12th June |
| Saturday 27th June | Hightown (Female focused) | 10am Friday 19th June |
Larry Mackrell, Group Manager for Workforce Planning and Improvement, said:
“As a firefighter every day is different, one day you’ll be responding to 999 calls and the next you’ll be helping people to understand how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
“It’s a great career for anyone, with excellent training and opportunities to specialise in areas like safety and prevention, or your career path may lead to managing stations or taking on other leadership roles.
“If you’ve never thought about working for the fire service but want to make a positive difference in your community, come visit us during one of our open days to learn more about becoming a firefighter.”
Applications will open in July. More information on becoming a wholetime firefighter.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion is important to us. We welcome attendees from all backgrounds. Find out more about working with us
