The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is changing how it recruits wholetime firefighters to further enhance the safety of communities.
The Service will move away from national intakes which traditionally took place over a four-week period, resulting in up to 6,000 applications from across Scotland.
Recruitment will now be open year-round with shifting regional focuses through the East, North and West of the country aimed at meeting local workforce needs.
The change will also ensure more regular intakes of new firefighters who are not only trained to protect their communities but work to prevent risk from occurring.
This comes as the Service prepares to open recruitment for wholetime firefighters in the North and East of Scotland later this month.
Liz Barnes is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Director of People and Organisational Development.
She said: “We are putting firefighter recruitment back into the communities we protect, with localised recruitment efforts based entirely on local needs.
“Rather than recruiting nationally and selecting candidates from a larger pool of applicants, we will now be targeting our recruitment at where it is needed most.
“This means that our firefighters will be recruited from the area, train in the area, and work in the area they applied for – and by moving to open-recruitment, we can ensure a steady influx of trainees into the Service who will go on to protect their communities.”
While recruitment will remain open year-round, applicants will be expected to work in the region that is currently recruiting – applicants should not apply if they are not prepared to work in the recruiting area.
Anyone who wishes to apply for the role will be able to see which area the Service is currently recruiting for online, through the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website or social media, or on the national recruitment platform MyJobScotland.
Ms Barnes continued: “It is absolutely vital that anyone who wishes to apply does so at the right time. For example, if we are currently recruiting in the North of Scotland, you should not apply if you are living in Glasgow and unwilling to work in the North of the country.
“Instead, take the time to work on your application, and make sure that it is the best it can be ahead of recruitment opening for the area in which you wish to work.”
Selected applicants will undergo a series of online psychometric tests designed to test their suitability for the role of a firefighter.
Candidates will then attend regional practical selection and selection centres.
More details on the opening of wholetime recruitment will be announced this week.
The Director added: “This is an incredible opportunity for people to work in and protect the communities that they know and love.”
Anyone considering thisrole is encouraged to sign up for job alerts via MyJobScotland and follow SFRS social media and website for further details on where recruitment will be opening first, and how to apply.
Register for job alerts and apply for the role at https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/emergency-Services/scottish-fire-and-rescue-Services
For detailed information on the role and what will be expected of applicants, including fitness advice, visit
For regular updates on the recruitment campaign follow the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on Facebook and @fire_scot on Twitter and Instagram, LinkedIn.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
“Wholetime”??? What kind of dodgy euphemism is this?
Here you are it is what the fire service call it…. https://www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/news/faq/whats-the-difference-between-wholetime-and-on-call-firefighters/
Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs! Thank you dodgy euphemism explained, and from my local fire service too. I guess it gets round the normal differentiation between volunteers and fully-paid fire fighters no matter where they are stationed?
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