Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) wants to recruit local men and women to become Community Firefighters (Part-Time) in the Ballycastle area.  A major recruitment drive across the town has been launched this week (w/c 3 December 2007) to encourage those interested in serving their community and becoming a Retained (Part-Time) Firefighter to apply to join NIFRS.

 

Retained Firefighters play a vital role in making NIFRS a world class fire and rescue service, by providing emergency response, safety advice and assistance to everyone in their local area.  To be a Retained Firefighter in Ballycastle you must live and work within a 5 minute radius of Ballycastle Fire Station and be available to respond to emergency call outs in the local area working within allocated shift patterns. 

 

“Being a Retained (Part-Time) Firefighter is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling job, providing critical emergency fire & rescue services to the community in which they live and work.  NIFRS could not operate without our Part-Time Firefighters, who make up over half our total number of Firefighters across Northern Ireland.    They respond to fires, road traffic collisions (RTCs) and a wide range of other emergencies such as chemical spillages and specialist rescues etc. 

 

“Our Retained Firefighters are trained to the highest standards and also attend a drill night for 2 hours per week to receive continuous safety and operational training throughout their careers.  In addition to serving their local community and providing a life saving emergency service, Retained Firefighters are paid an attractive yearly retaining fee plus turn out and drill night fees and paid annual holiday leave, so for many people it can be a beneficial additional income. 

 

“The success of our Retained (Part-Time) duty system is largely dependent on the consent and flexibility of local employers to allow people to become Retained Firefighters and to respond to emergency calls during normal working hours.  Hundreds of local businesses across Northern Ireland currently employ Retained Firefighters and local business support for Retained Firefighters is highly valued by both the community and also NIFRS.  We greatly appreciate their important contribution in helping us deliver the best possible fire and rescue service for local communities.

 

NIFRS is an equal opportunities employer and looks forward to receiving applications from men and women from all sections of the community who are interested in becoming a Firefighter in their area and who meet the criteria.

 

NIFRS would particularly like to encourage females who would be interested in becoming a Part-Time Firefighter to apply.  There are currently 29 female Firefighters working right across Northern Ireland with recruitment having steadily increased over the past 5 years, as women realise it is no longer just a job for the men and that NIFRS offers a rewarding and challenging long term career prospect that can be balanced with a family life. 

 

There will be a recruitment information open night at Ballycastle Fire Station on Monday, 10^th December from 7pm-9.30pm to give interested applicants more information.  Recruitment Application Packs are available from Ballycastle Fire Station on Monday nights from 7.30pm to 9.30pm and also at the following locations during normal working hours:

NIFRS Northern Area Command Headquarters, Waveney Road, Ballymena (02825 643370)

Castle Service Station, Castle Street,

Eurospar, 6 Ramoan Road

Moyle District Council Offices, 7 Mary Street

Sheskburn Recreation Centre, 7 Mary Street

 

www.nifrs.org has further information and details of the local recruitment process.  Closing date for applications is Thursday 20^th December 2007 at 3pm.

 

For further information please contact NIFRS Corporate Communications Department on 02892 664221.