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Today's Fire Service can offer you a satisfying, exciting and varied career, and the aim of this booklet is to give you a better insight into just what the work involves.
There is no national Fire Service. There are 55 separate fire brigades in England and Wales, each run independently under the command of a Chief Fire Officer.
Like many organisations, the Fire Service draws from its existing employees those considered suitable for promotion to the most senior management positions and ensures that it has people with a wide range of skills from which to select. There are, therefore, career opportunities for school leavers and graduates alike.
Fighting fires can in fact be just a small part of everyday work. Firefighters are called upon to advise on fire safety, but when they are called to a "shout" they could be dealing with any type of major or minor disaster: road, rail or air crashes; floods; chemical spills or rescuing people trapped in lifts or other confined spaces.
This requires a range of personal skills such as understanding, reliability, flexibility and the ability to work in a team. If you think you have got what it takes, please read on.
The Work of the Fire Service
Your career in the Fire Service