On-Call Firefighters
Discussion
Going by your location and knowing of only one station being built (just been opened I believe), would you be in NAG?
If so, they are a pretty good service, but gone through a lot of changes in recent years. The role itself is good, providing you with a good deal of knowledge and skills. Eyes and ears open and enjoy it.
If so, they are a pretty good service, but gone through a lot of changes in recent years. The role itself is good, providing you with a good deal of knowledge and skills. Eyes and ears open and enjoy it.
Not sure how your lot do it Ri, but Kent have changed massively from the old style retained. It's more set up as a part time job.
You obviously have drill night commitments still, but actual hours are different now. I believe all contracts are 60 hours and rather than being available when you can (within the hours you give on joining), you give your availability and you are then given hours within that, that you need to be available for.
They try to maintain pumps on minimum (currently 4, but plans to go down to 3!!!) and work strictly to this. Outside of he hours your given, you don't respond, whether available or not.
I used to be at the station that NAG is closing. Fairly busy area for on call and will tick over nicely with a good variety of jobs (although M25/20 won't be on your ground anymore, so less RTC's).
You obviously have drill night commitments still, but actual hours are different now. I believe all contracts are 60 hours and rather than being available when you can (within the hours you give on joining), you give your availability and you are then given hours within that, that you need to be available for.
They try to maintain pumps on minimum (currently 4, but plans to go down to 3!!!) and work strictly to this. Outside of he hours your given, you don't respond, whether available or not.
I used to be at the station that NAG is closing. Fairly busy area for on call and will tick over nicely with a good variety of jobs (although M25/20 won't be on your ground anymore, so less RTC's).
New Ash Green, although they calling the new station Ash Cum Ridley for some reason.
The hours part seems to be working. The big thing for them was being able to control when/which pumps are available. As they have great mystic meg powers, they are able to forecast hours over a 6 month period, knowing that certain areas won't require pumps to be on the run. Uproar when it was established, but not seen any moaning about it since and no significant incidents in the off the run areas have occurred.
They have just put the next IRMP or whatever they are calling it now. Some good ideas within it, but the 3 minimum is a big worry. They stopped that in the 90's for a reason and would be scary to see it back.
The hours part seems to be working. The big thing for them was being able to control when/which pumps are available. As they have great mystic meg powers, they are able to forecast hours over a 6 month period, knowing that certain areas won't require pumps to be on the run. Uproar when it was established, but not seen any moaning about it since and no significant incidents in the off the run areas have occurred.
They have just put the next IRMP or whatever they are calling it now. Some good ideas within it, but the 3 minimum is a big worry. They stopped that in the 90's for a reason and would be scary to see it back.
Great chat thanks!
Main Q really is how much of an impact on your life does it have?
I'm mid-20's, self employed, often travel around the SE during day time for work but always home at nights. I sometimes do some work away at weekends, so have said that I will only be available weekday nights.
I'm not particularly in it for the money, but it will be a useful few K each year for toys etc.
Main Q really is how much of an impact on your life does it have?
I'm mid-20's, self employed, often travel around the SE during day time for work but always home at nights. I sometimes do some work away at weekends, so have said that I will only be available weekday nights.
I'm not particularly in it for the money, but it will be a useful few K each year for toys etc.
Hi Shrimper
All depends how busy the station is, how far from the station you are or if you operate a roster duty system
If you get a lot of calls, live close to the station on a first come first on the truck system then kiss goodbye to a quiet night in front of the telly!!!!
If its quiet, the crew live closer than you or you roster then it shouldn't impact too much
Yesterday, had loads of stuff planned, Xmas decorations, clean the house, nice snooze before a 45 mile trip out for an Xmas meal
Ended up with 4 standbys on station, 4 actual calls and a rather spirited drive across the city Xmas Market rush hour traffic. Only 30mins late for meal tho.
Now having to do all yesterdays jobs with a hangover!!!!!!
Those sort of days are rare though and enjoy the quiet times just as much the busy ones
Get to know the rest of the crew, if you haven't already, make contact and go for a few beers to get to know each other. It becomes like a second family
Best of luck to you
All depends how busy the station is, how far from the station you are or if you operate a roster duty system
If you get a lot of calls, live close to the station on a first come first on the truck system then kiss goodbye to a quiet night in front of the telly!!!!
If its quiet, the crew live closer than you or you roster then it shouldn't impact too much
Yesterday, had loads of stuff planned, Xmas decorations, clean the house, nice snooze before a 45 mile trip out for an Xmas meal
Ended up with 4 standbys on station, 4 actual calls and a rather spirited drive across the city Xmas Market rush hour traffic. Only 30mins late for meal tho.
Now having to do all yesterdays jobs with a hangover!!!!!!
Those sort of days are rare though and enjoy the quiet times just as much the busy ones
Get to know the rest of the crew, if you haven't already, make contact and go for a few beers to get to know each other. It becomes like a second family
Best of luck to you
As I said, Kent operate differently to the norm now. It did used to be how Ri states, depending on how each station operated.
With NAG being brand new to the area, you will be lucky with hours, as they are crying out for every hour at the moment. Once established, it's generally only day time hours needed.
Due to only being able to give those hours, those are the hours you will put in your contract and you can amend this with approval from management should your commitments change. For example,, you put in our contract you can only do 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday. I'm led to believe all hours are planned for a 6 month period. To cover the hours needed, they may state week 1 you are on call 7pm to 5am and then week 2, 11pm to 7am, etc. they will be the hours you do. For those periods, you just need to be within 5 minutes of the station and respond should your alerter go off. If no calls, you do what you want (no drinking though) and just be ready to drop everything should you need to.
As Ri states, it really depends on each day and call as to how disruptive it can be. I can remember going through a 2-3 week period with no calls at all and then getting 6-7 calls in a day
With NAG being brand new to the area, you will be lucky with hours, as they are crying out for every hour at the moment. Once established, it's generally only day time hours needed.
Due to only being able to give those hours, those are the hours you will put in your contract and you can amend this with approval from management should your commitments change. For example,, you put in our contract you can only do 7pm to 7am Monday to Friday. I'm led to believe all hours are planned for a 6 month period. To cover the hours needed, they may state week 1 you are on call 7pm to 5am and then week 2, 11pm to 7am, etc. they will be the hours you do. For those periods, you just need to be within 5 minutes of the station and respond should your alerter go off. If no calls, you do what you want (no drinking though) and just be ready to drop everything should you need to.
As Ri states, it really depends on each day and call as to how disruptive it can be. I can remember going through a 2-3 week period with no calls at all and then getting 6-7 calls in a day
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