Old Fire Station jobs

You must have GCSEs at Grade C/4 or Scottish National 5 at Grade C in English Language and Mathematics/Application of Mathematics or equivalent qualifications including Functional Skills.

Candidates do not need a driver's licence to apply for this role. However if you already hold a full UK manual licence, and are under the age of 20 years and 6 months at the time of applying, the licence must be free from record of conviction or penalty points, including any driving ban (even it has expired) as these preclude the holding of an LGV category licence. Candidates over this age with unexpired penalty points may be considered for the role.

If your qualifications are not listed, or you do not have any qualifications, please Contact Us to learn more about how you can join the Royal Air Force.

NATIONALITY

You must be a citizen of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, holder of dual UK/other nationality or have been a Commonwealth citizen since birth (with ‘right to work’ immigration status).

RESIDENCY

Whether or not you were born in the United Kingdom, you should have resided there for the 5 years immediately preceding your application, but candidates with a minimum of 3 years may be considered.

If you have resided abroad for a period due to work or study, you may still be eligible on a case by case basis.

The Nationality and Residency requirements are the foundation of obtaining the necessary security clearance. The nationalities of your spouse or partner, and parents, are also taken into account among other factors.

There will be further pre-employment checks and you will be expected to achieve the security clearance of Security Check (SC).

Employment restrictions may be imposed in the future if you are unable to achieve an increased security clearance requirement for selected placements.

You must be physically fit to complete both initial and specialist training, and to do your role effectively. Every candidate's fitness levels are tested as part of the application process.

The first of these is the Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT) which takes place at a fitness centre local to you. This consists of a 2.4km (1.5m) run on a treadmill (set to zero incline)

How fit you need to be to pass this test varies on age and gender. The PJFT requirements are listed on the charts below (Male and Female).

See here for more information about a training plan

A second fitness test will take place at RAF Cranwell as part of your familiarisation visit. This includes the Multi-Stage Fitness Test (MSFT or Bleep test). Standards to achieve will be given during the visit.

A practical guide is available to help servicewomen prepare for the physical demands of arduous training and selection courses. Through scientific evidence and practical experience, this guide covers training for endurance and load carrying, performance nutrition and protecting your physical and mental health.

Read a guide for servicewomen preparing for arduous training (opens in new tab).

Candidates joining the RAF must be medically fully fit, both physically and psychologically, to meet the challenges of military service, during which they will be expected to deploy, potentially at short notice, to locations world-wide that are remote from established medical care.

Certain medical conditions could preclude entry to the RAF. Further details can be found in this document.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Information

Why is BMI important?

One of the most common medical causes of delay to candidate’s applications, is falling outside the selection BMI limits. Candidates with a BMI outside the selection limitations are statistically at increased risk of injury during basic training and long-term ill health.

What is BMI?

BMI is calculated using your height and weight. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) classify a healthy BMI as being between 18.5 and 24.9. Some individuals have an elevated BMI due to a high muscle mass. To accommodate individuals with an elevated BMI (up to a maximum of 32) caused by high muscle mass, waist circumference measurements are used.

How to measure your waist circumference

Breathe normally and the waist measurement is to be taken at the end of a normal breath out. Position the tape measure midway between the bottom of the ribcage and the top of the pelvis. The tape should be snug but not compress the skin. If there is difficulty finding the bony landmarks, place the tape at the level of the tummy button.

Calculating your BMI

Calculate your BMI here

BMI Limitations for RAF Selection

Eyesight

Eyesight standards vary for different roles. Wearing glasses or contact lenses may be allowed.

Health Criteria

If you are unsure about any health criteria, please continue your application and your eligibility will be assessed at the medical examination stage.

During your application, the Medical Risk Assessment that all candidates undergo is there to make sure that you are healthy enough for the intense training required by the RAF. Your application will be rejected if you fail to meet the minimum acceptable medical standard for entry. Your medical history is confidential and is not disclosed to those not authorised to hold this information.

YOU MUST:

• Declare any previous spent and unspent convictions
• Check if you qualify under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 through this summary
• Achieve the minimum security clearance of Security Check (SC) for this role

YOU CAN'T APPLY FOR THE RAF IF YOU:

• Have been or are a member of a group that stirs up racial hatred and violence
• Are waiting to appear in court, or have unspent convictions. You may also have to declare spent convictions for certain roles
• Misuse drugs, solvents and anabolic steroids. But each case is considered upon its own merits
• Have tattoos, brands or bead implants that are obscene or offensive.
  Any permanent or temporary tattoos, whether ordinarily visible or not, must not be obscene or offensive (eg, racist, anti-religion or belief, crude, overtly sexist, homophobic, drug related or of an extreme political nature). Tattoos may be worn on the side and back of the neck but tattoos on the back of the neck must not extend above the natural hairline (scalp tattoos are not permitted).
• Have body piercing which causes holes that do not close up
• Declare yourself to be an 'undischarged' bankrupt

Beard Policy:

Serving personnel can wear a smart, neatly-trimmed, full-set beard. The length of acceptable beards is between Grade 1 (2.5mm) and Grade 8 (25.5mm).

Usually, candidates are to be clean shaven when being fitted for their respirators in Phase One training, however other methods of creating a clean seal can be advised if this is not possible due to religious reasons.

Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Operational Firefighter

This occupation is found in 45 Fire Services across England as well as other organisations who have their own fire services such as the RAF, Airports, Ministry of Defence and those dealing with explosives and chemicals. Therefore, although the role is predominantly found in the public sector, there is a need for operational firefighters in the private sector. The size of the employer will vary but will tend to be medium to large in size.

Phase one training

10 weeks

RAF Halton

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10 weeks

RAF Halton

The course is designed to help you adjust to a military environment. As well as fitness and military training, you will also learn about the RAF lifestyle.

Phase two training

14 weeks

DFTU Moreton-in-Marsh

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14 weeks

DFTU Moreton-in-Marsh

The specialist course will teach you:

• Fire Extinguisher Maintenance
• Fire Service Drill
• Breathing Apparatus Operations
• Structural Firefighting Operations
• Road Traffic Incident Techniques
• Aircraft Construction
• Aviation Firefighting Operations

You will deal with ‘live’ practice fires and gain experience of specialist crash rescue fire-fighting vehicles.

As part of specialist training you will be enrolled on to a Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship. This is a 12-24 month programme you will complete as part of your daily duties.

On graduation, you will be promoted to the rank of Air Specialist (class 2)

First tour

4 months

As assigned

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4 months

As assigned

You'll be on call to handle any emergencies. You will focus on understanding the operation of a live airfield and routine tasks to support the running of the fire station.

During this time expect to deploy to one of the ongoing deployment locations for a period of 4 months.

Additional qualifications

Ongoing

As assigned

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Ongoing

As assigned

These are the qualifications you could achieve:

• Level 3 Award in Incident Command
• Level 3 Certificate in Assessing
• Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement
• Level 3 Award in Education and Training
• Technician Membership Institute of Fire Engineers
• Post Graduate Certificate (PGCert) in Emergency Planning, Resilience and Response
• Post Graduate Diploma (PGDip) in Emergency Planning, Resilience and Response
• Masters degree (MSc) in Emergency Planning, Resilience and Response

Your career prospects

Ongoing

As assigned

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Ongoing

As assigned

Further promotion to the rank of Corporal and beyond is by competitive selection. Opportunities also exist for suitable individuals to apply to Commission into the Air Operations (Systems) Branch and be employed as a specialist Commissioned Fire Officer.

Continued development

Ongoing

As assigned

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Ongoing

As assigned

Early on you could achieve your category C large goods vehicle driving licence and learn the specialist skills needed to drive fire fighting vehicles by completing an Emergency Response Driver (Airfield) course.

Transferrable skills

Ongoing

As assigned

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Ongoing

As assigned

Because you will have all the development opportunities and career prospects of your civilian counterparts, along with civilian accredited qualifications, if you decide to leave the RAF you’ll be well placed to find a job as a civilian firefighter.

Aptitude test

Stage 1 of 7

Selection Interviews

Stage 2 of 7

Health Assessment

Stage 3 of 7

Fitness Test

Stage 4 of 7

Specialist Interview

Stage 5 of 7

Acceptance

Stage 6 of 7

Training

Stage 7 of 7