The SYFR Contingency Fire Crew exists to provide emergency response cover to the public in the event of exceptional excess demands on the service or in the event of local or national industrial action taken by firefighters. Whilst SYFR respect the right of staff to undertake industrial action, there is a legal duty placed upon the Fire Authority to provide emergency cover to the public they serve.
Roles in the Contingency Fire Crew
Fire & Emergency Operative – OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS NOW
Fire & Emergency Operatives will be required to staff fire appliances and attend emergency incidents. Training will be provided. Candidates are required to be of a good level of physical fitness which will be assessed during the recruitment process via a bleep test within which candidates are required to meet the level of 8.7.
Fire & Emergency Driver/Pump Operator – Not currently recruiting into this role
Driver/Pump Operators will be required to drive fire appliances and operate pumps and will be given suitable Emergency Response Driver Training. Applicants for this role will need to hold a current Class C LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) licence and have undertaken over 200 miles LGV driving. Applicants will need a reasonable level of fitness and will need to undertake a fitness test as part of the selection process. There is the potential for Driver Pump Operators to undertake wider training in operational areas following a further higher level fitness assessment, however this will be voluntary and discussed at interview.
Contractual Information
Individuals will be engaged on a zero hours contract and SYFR will not be obligated to provide individuals with any hours of work.
Pay: You will receive £13.40 per hour during any period of training or work undertaken.*
*You will receive a minimum of 12 hours pay (£160.80) for any period of work (non training) undertaken i.e. if you are required to work for just a 2 hour shift you would still receive 12 hours pay. Any work undertaken over 12 consecutive hours will then be paid at an additional £13.40 per hour.
Retention Fee: You will receive £200 for every 4-week period of availability you provide after completing your initial training. Please be aware that to receive the retention payment you must attend the relevant ongoing training.
Contract Type: You will be contracted to work only when required by the organisation. There will be no guarantee of future work – this is called a Zero Hours Contract.
How to apply
If you are interested in applying for the role of Fire & Emergency Operative then please review the Eligibility Criteria and Recruitment Stages using the link at the bottom of this page to gain an understanding of what the recruitment process will entail.
NOTE: If you are interested in applying you must be available to attend the following dates:
Initial Assessment Day: Friday 13th June 2025
Practical testing Day: Saturday 5th July 2025
Full Initial Training Course: 29th September to 17th October 2025.
You will also need to be able to provide reasonable availability to cover potential periods of exceptional excess service demand or industrial action.
If you wish to apply please email us at contingencyrecruitment@syfire.gov.uk and provide us with your full name, address and telephone number and we will contact you in order to undertake an initial telephone questionnaire.
NOTE: We are only currently recruiting for the role of Operative, if you are interested in the role of Driver / Pump Operator then feel free to send your details and we will retain your details should we need to fill these roles, but we will not be progressing this right away.
Useful Documents
More information around the eligibility criteria and recruitment process for contingency roles can be found in the document links below: