Frequently asked questions

The Equality Act 2010 permits employers to take positive action measures to improve equality for people who share a protected characteristic. Section 158 of the Act enables us to take proportionate action to reduce disadvantage or increase participation of a particular group who are underrepresented in the workforce.

We are committed to having a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities to give us the widest spectrum of ideas, backgrounds, cultures and skills.

Our service is currently underrepresented by:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people
• people with disabilities
• lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender people
• women (in firefighting roles)

Examples of the types of positive action activity we carry out include targeted advertising, ‘meet and greet’ sessions, recruitment programmes and female fitness sessions.

Positive action does not include giving someone a job based on their protected characteristic. This is unlawful.

An initial trainee firefighters course lasts 12 weeks, you will be paid throughout this training.

During this time, you will be working Monday to Friday at a variety of locations across the West Midlands.

Following the successful completion of these 12 weeks you will be assigned a station and watch who will support you in the rest of your training.

This will involve assessments in a variety of subjects and can take up to 3 years.

We operate a continuous rolling recruitment programme, running four trainee firefighter courses a year. Our aim is to recruit around 80 new firefighters annually to serve our communities.

It can take up to 12 weeks from you initially registering online to being sent the first tests.

From this point, it takes around 9-12 months to complete the process and be placed on a course.

The treadmill will be set at 6.2km/h (3.8mph) throughout the test. The test will begin with 0% gradient for 2 minutes. The gradient will then be increased by 3% every 2 minutes.

The test takes 12 minutes to complete.

Firefighters need to have a good level of strength and cardiovascular fitness to be able to carry out their job.

All our practical selection tests can be on our website within the firefighter selection process, this will enable you to be able to see what is required and work to improve your strength and cardiovascular fitness.

A fitness test is carried out as part of your medical to determine if your aerobic fitness meets our standards of 42 V02 max. The test that we use to test this is the Chester Treadmill test.

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK with no restrictions.

Applicants need to be 18 or over at the time they apply. There is no upper age limit.

Unfortunately no. Firefighters cannot have a beard due to the need to be able to get a face seal when wearing breathing apparatus, with our current equipment.

Ideally yes, although having one is not essential at the point of application.

You should be aware, however, that part of a firefighter’s role is to drive. So there is an expectation that you will obtain a driving licence and eventually become an emergency response driver.

You will be given full support and training to enable this.