Five minutes from a fire station? Cornwall Fire and Rescue wants you

When the pager goes off, they drop whatever they are doing. It might be a shift at work, a family meal or the middle of the night. And three in every four firefighters answering those calls across the county are on-call crews who live just down the road.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is now looking for more of them. Applications for on-call firefighters open on Monday 23 November, and the recruitment process for wholetime firefighters will follow in early 2027.

Two online events to find out more

Anyone curious about the role can join one of two free online sessions to hear about the job and how the recruitment process works.

• This Saturday (7 November), 10am to 12pm
• Thursday 19 November, 6pm to 8pm

Both come ahead of applications opening, so there is time to ask questions before deciding whether to apply.

What being an on-call firefighter involves

On-call firefighters make up 75% of the service, covering 31 stations across Cornwall. They only head to the station when there is an emergency callout, responding from home or work, by day or by night depending on the cover they offer.

On top of that there is a weekly two-hour training session and some prearranged duties. Crews also turn up at community events such as school visits, displays and carnivals.

The service says the roles are flexible and can fit around existing work and other commitments. Hours depend on what each person can offer, balanced against what their local station needs. No firefighting experience is needed, and full training is provided on an ongoing basis.

Pay

On-call firefighters are paid. The amount varies with how much availability someone gives and how busy their station is, with extra pay for training nights and courses.

Who can apply

The key requirement is distance. Applicants need to live or work no more than five minutes from their nearest fire station. Anyone planning to move into a station area can still be considered, but they will need to show they intend to move before their application can start.

Other requirements listed by the service include:

• Being at least 18 by the start of employment (there is no upper age limit)
• The right to work in the UK
• A full category B UK driving licence, or working towards one, by the start of employment
• Meeting the eyesight standards and having a good level of strength and fitness
• A good grasp of maths and English (no formal qualifications are needed)
• No unspent criminal convictions at the start of employment

How the recruitment process works

Applications go through the Cornwall Council recruitment system, and each applicant picks one station near where they live or work. From there, eligible candidates meet station management to talk through the hours they could offer, followed by a fitness test and a formal interview.

Next come assessment centres with practical and written tests. The service has published written test practice papers for anyone who wants to get a feel for the maths and English questions. Successful candidates then receive a conditional offer as a development firefighter, subject to DBS and right-to-work checks and a full medical.

The full breakdown is on the on-call recruitment process page, and general details on the role are on the on-call firefighter page.

A note for employers

Many on-call firefighters hold down other jobs. Businesses with a member of staff thinking about applying can find information on employing on-call firefighters.

Wholetime roles in 2027

For those after a full-time career, recruitment for wholetime firefighters starts in early 2027. The service is running Have a Go events to support it, informal sessions with no tests where people can try on fire kit and learn about the fitness requirements.

Questions about becoming an on-call firefighter, or about on-call pay, can go to [email protected]. More on Cornwall’s fire service is in our news section.

📷Credit: Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service