There are two different duty systems for firefighters in Oxfordshire and these are full time roles which we call Wholetime and part time roles which we call Retained 'on call' duty system or RDS.
Retained 'on call' duty system
On-call Firefighters carry an alerter. They let the fire station know when they're available so they can respond immediately to emergency calls at any time. Many have an arrangement with their employer, so they can be on-call for the Fire and Rescue Service whilst at the same time remaining a valued employee. Others choose to devote only evenings and / or weekends to being on-call.
Being on call
On-call firefighters have to live or work within about five minutes of their local fire station in order to respond to call outs quickly. They are called out on average two or three times a week but the commitment varies around the country and between different fire stations.
For firefighters, saving lives and protecting communities is all in a day's work. But whilst the majority of firefighters are full-time employees of the Fire and Rescue Service, an additional 30% of our fire crews have jobs elsewhere and are 'on-call' with their local fire station.
On-call firefighters provide emergency cover to over 90% of the UK. There are over 14,000 on-call Firefighters in England, protecting our small towns and rural communities and they are responsible for operating 60% of all fire engines and just like full-time firefighters, are trained to deal with everything from extinguishing burning buildings to providing first aid.
On-call firefighters make up an invaluable part of the team, heading to their fire station only when needed in an emergency.
Further reading
Vacancies - available now
We recruit for on call firefighters all year round depending on the station needs.
The following stations are recruiting.
- Banbury
- Hook Norton
- Chipping Norton
- Charlbury
- Woodstock
- Bicester
- Eynsham
- Burford
- Bampton
- Rewley Road
- Abingdon
- Faringdon
- Wantage
- Goring
- Henley
- Thame
- Wheatley
- Watlington
- Slade
- Wallingford
- Didcot
The following stations are currently full and will not be recruiting until further notice:
- Deddington
- Kidlington
- Witney
How to apply
Email your name, address, telephone number and the name of the station you wish to join to jobs@oxfordshire.gov.uk with ‘Retained Firefighter Recruitment’ in the subject line of your email. We will email you an application pack to complete electronically.
Or:
Telephone our recruitment hotline number 0800 587 0870.
Please leave your details and an application pack will be sent to you.
Or:
If you have access to a printer you can print your own application pack to complete by hand and post back to us. Complete our online form and press send. You will then be given access to download and print a pdf version of the pack. Please note the pack is approximately 50 pages.
Retained Duty System (RDS) pay
Retaining fee of around £1494 pa plus:
- drill night fees
- turn out fees
- extra duties fees
This equates to around £150 -£300 per month.
Visit your local station without obligation
If you live or work close to a station and are interested, or would just like to find out more, please come along to your local station, without obligation, on the evening of their drill night.
Station contact details
| Station |
Drill Night |
Time |
| 01 Banbury |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 02 Hook Norton |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 03 Chipping Norton |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 04 Charlbury |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 05 Woodstock |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 06 Kidlington |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 07 Bicester |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 08 Deddington |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 09 Eynsham |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 10 Witney |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 11 Burford |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 12 Bampton |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 21 Rewley Road |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 22 Abingdon |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 23 Faringdon |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 24 Wantage |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 25 Goring |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 26 Henley |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 27 Thame |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 28 Wheatley |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 29 Watlington |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 30 Slade |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 31 Wallingford |
Wednesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
| 32 Didcot |
Tuesday |
19:00 - 21:00 |
Information for employers
Nationwide, Fire and Rescue Services need the help of local businesses to provide capable staff as On-Call Firefighters. Their work is vital to the safety of the local community and your support in releasing your staff to carry out firefighting duties is crucial.
Bringing you value
On-Call Firefighters are highly trained professionals who can bring added value to your organisation. They gain many useful transferable skills with the Fire and Rescue Service which can be useful in any workplace.
These can include:
Personal skills: such as team work, quick thinking, using initiative, taking responsibility, communication skills and keeping calm in difficult situations. Being a firefighter also requires commitment and self-discipline.
Emergency skills: including first aid and trauma care, will assist your business on health and safety, first aid and fire related matters. They are trained on an on-going basis to maintain and develop these skills.
Educational and vocational qualifications: Firefighters are encouraged to gain National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs), and to maintain up-to-date skills. These can benefit employers through better productivity levels and improved motivation.
Download information for employers
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