On-Call availability – responding to incidents

Providing availability

We use the terms “availability” and “cover” in place of “hours that a Firefighter is available to us to work if required”.

There are various ways in which availability can be provided, and for an On-Call Firefighter, this will primarily be to their local fire station for an immediate response, but it could include providing agreed cover at an alternative location on a delayed response.

The amount of cover an On-Call Firefighter offers us can be flexible and could be given during the day or night, whether they are working, at home or enjoying free time.

There is a requirement for On-Call Firefighters to provide a guaranteed level of availability, which is discussed during their application process.

When providing availability for emergencies, an On-Call Firefighter will be required to have the ability to be alerted (normally via a smartphone app) and remain within an agreed area for a rapid or delayed response.

We plan to have a minimum of three On-Call (up to 10-minute response) fire appliances available as minimum each day and night.

On-Call Firefighters have the ability through local line management to:

• Provide response to their nearest fire station immediately and up to 10-minutes (Immediate Response)
• Provide a response to their nearest fire station (inc. work or home) within 20 minutes (2nd line availability)
• Provide a response to any fire station (inc. work or home) within 60 minutes (3rd line availability)
• Provide a response to any fire station within three hours (4th line availability)

Already employed?

An On-Call Firefighter will need their primary employer’s consent to be released for emergencies.