About the fire service and our staff

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (OFRS) is a modern fire service with an outstanding culture.

Our staff come from all walks of life, regardless of sex, religion or ethnicity. What they all have in common is self-reliance, confidence, respect, enthusiasm, team spirit and a willingness to be ready for anything when they are alerted to an emergency.

We have 25 fire stations serving our local communities and crews available to respond 24 hours a day.

About the role

As a firefighter, you are part of a team serving the local community and helping to keep it safe, you could be:

• teaching children and communities about fire and road safety
• assisting business to be safe and compliant with fire safety laws
• rescuing someone from a road traffic collision
• helping vulnerable people stay safe in their home
• attending a large animal rescue
• rescuing people from floods
• or even fighting fires.

As well as learning firefighting techniques, you’ll learn other skills such as, how to wear breathing apparatus, road traffic collision procedures, fire prevention and protection, first aid, team management skills and there is the opportunity to learn how to drive a fire engine.

What the job entails

We divide the role of our firefighters into four areas:

Community safety

This prevention and community safety work is vital as it ensure fires and other incidents don’t happen in the first place. Engaging with the local community, firefighters:

• visit schools and community groups and talk to them about fire, road and water safety
• complete safe and well checks
• advise people on the importance of working smoke alarms, escape plans and what they should do in an emergency
• engage with the diverse groups of people within local communities to foster good relations and understanding
• work with some of the most vulnerable members of the community to ensure they are supported
• keep up to date with local area knowledge

Responding to emergencies

An emergency call could come at any moment and crews must be prepared to respond immediately. On scene, we work to minimise the distress and suffering of anyone involved in the incident and provide first aid where necessary.

Our firefighters are expected to attend a variety of incidents, including:

• road traffic collisions
• fighting fires
• water rescues
• large animal rescues
• flooding
• chemical spillages
• humanitarian emergencies where we assist other agencies
• rescuing individuals trapped in buildings and lifts.

Training and development 

All our firefighters continuously maintain training levels and keep their competencies up to date as part of the job. Training is delivered through practical and theoretical exercises and you would be required to ensure your fitness levels are maintained.

Station maintenance 

Our firefighters maintain, clean and tested equipment to keep it in good working order, following our health and safety procedures. This will include daily checks, of the equipment on the fire appliance and ensuring the breathing apparatus is ready for immediate use, if required. Attention to detail and a commitment to doing the job to a high standard is key.