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03/11/09 On-Call Firefighters - New toolkit to help employers

A new toolkit to help employers boost their businesses by releasing staff to be on-call firefighters, has been announced by Fire Minister Shahid Malik.

The launch of the Employers' Information Toolkit is in response to comments from local employers around the country that they would welcome more information about the role of on-call firefighters - also known as retained firefighters.

Speaking at the ‘Fire Professionals On Call’ conference in London, organised by the Chief Fire Officers' Association, Shahid Malik paid tribute to the professionalism and commitment of all on-call firefighters and stressed their vital role in protecting rural communities and the benefits they bring to their main employers.

Fire Minister Shahid Malik said: “There are many benefits to employers who release staff to become on-call firefighters. They can pick up further skills including leadership, first aid care, health and safety training. Fire and Rescue Services need to recruit on-call firefighters and I hope that businesses, no matter how big or small, will respond positively to their staff asking to be able to become as on-call firefighters. The Government is grateful to all those businesses who are able to release their staff and to the people who are willing to give up their time to be on-call firefighters to help save the lives of others.

“Taking part in the on-call service offers flexibility - working hours that can suit with a partner providing child care - so I hope that will help to attract a more diverse group of people to the Fire and Rescue Service.”

Benefits to employers include: staff trained in and with experience of:

First aid and trauma care;
Risk assessment and health and safety training;
Leadership skills and team work;
Self-discipline, commitment and motivation; and
Specialist skills such as heavy goods vehicle driving.

On-call firefighters are dedicated paid volunteers. But unlike full-time firefighters they aren't based at a fire station - many have jobs elsewhere and head to their local fire station when there's an emergency call. On-call Firefighters provide England with 30 per cent of all firefighting personnel, and crews to 50 per cent of fire stations

Fire and Rescue Services need the help of local businesses by allowing staff to be on-call. The toolkit, produced by Communities and Local Government, is designed to help Fire and Rescue Services to encourage employers to give their support.

The toolkit features case studies of on-call firefighters and their ‘day-job’ employers including:

A care home and a building company whose staff are with Shropshire FRS;
A primary school whose female caretaker works with Lincolnshire FRS;
A self-employed electrician and a dental nurse who works with Gloucestershire FRS.

Other professions represented by on-call firefighters include company directors, shop keepers, builders, and teachers.

Serving as an on-call firefighter is open to both men and women. Nationally 3.8 per cent of on-call firefighters are women. In Oxfordshire women make up 7 per cent of on-call staff, 6 per cent in Gloucestershire, and 5 per cent in Lincolnshire and Humberside. People of a black and minority ethnic background make up 2 per cent of all on-call staff.

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