Overview
Firefighter (Control) – Wiltshire
Job Description
Salary: £28,865 (Development) – £36,937 (Competent)
Hours: Full Time – 42 hours per week (shift work)
Contract type: Permanent
This is not a Wiltshire Council Vacancy therefore please contact Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue for more information.
A bit about us:
We are looking for passionate and dedicated Firefighters (Control), to join our team based in our Service Control Centre in Potterne.
This is no ordinary role. You’ll be the calm, reassuring voice at the other end of the line when someone is potentially facing the worst day of their life. From coordinating fire crews to mobilising emergency resources, every call you take and every decision you make will help protect lives, homes, and communities.
The Service Control Centre is crewed 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year, achieved by four watches on a rotating shift pattern averaging 42 hours per week.
The pattern includes:
- Two consecutive day shifts (08:00 – 18:00)
- Followed by two consecutive night shifts (18:00 – 08:00)
- Followed by four days off
Therefore, applicants must be able to work on days, nights, weekends and public holidays.
Successful applicants will receive full and comprehensive training which will require dedication and a willingness to learn.
This is a fantastic opportunity to join Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, an organisation that is passionate about changing and saving lives. Our Fire Control staff are absolutely vital in helping to make our communities safer and healthier. Without them, we couldn’t do it.
We are proud to offer a wide range of employee benefits and strive to ensure that staff are valued and rewarded. From the security of the Local Government Pension Scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, a variety of family friendly policies including 39 weeks’ full pay during maternity leave (subject to qualifying criteria) to our dedicated health & well-being services.
All about the role:
As a Firefighter (Control) you will:
- Take emergency calls from the public
- Liaise with partner agencies, including police, ambulance and local authorities
- Provide guidance and support to the caller, which in some cases may be distressing
- Mobilise resources as required
- Work as part of a team to provide support to operational colleagues at incidents
You must:
- Have 4 GCSE passes – Grade A*-C / 9-4, including English and Mathematics; or equivalent Level 2 qualification; or higher-level relevant qualification; or have at least six months of relevant experience of working in an emergency service/military environment.
- Be a minimum of 17 and a half years of age at point of application; however, if successful, you will need to be 18 years old at the point of appointment
- Be able to provide a commitment to the shift working pattern
- Be competent in the use of Microsoft Office and other software packages, with good keyboard skills
What makes you our ideal Emergency Call Handler:
- Able to communicate confidently and clearly with both internal and external customers, demonstrating a positive and professional attitude with the ability to establish a rapport with callers.
- Able to commit to the requirements of the development programme with a high degree of self-motivation
- Resilient when dealing with distressed callers in emergency life or death situations
- Able to manipulate datasets and databases
- Able to display professionalism in line with working as part of a uniformed, disciplined service.
For full details of the role and requirements please have a look at the job description and person specification.
Other Information:
- The role involves day/night, weekend and bank holiday working on a shift pattern
- You must be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the role, which could include occasional travel to locations within the partnership.
- A Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on successful individuals prior to confirmation of employment.
- Any offer of employment will be subject to full pre-employment checks which include identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical, negative drug test, receipt of satisfactory references, verification of employment history, an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last 3 years and Non-Police Personal Vetting (NPPV2) security clearance.
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Find out more and apply:
The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday 23 November 2025.
The selection process will include the following stages:
- Stage 1: Application form and eligibility checks
- Stage 2: Online psychometric testing between 3 December 2025 and 10 December 2025 (23:00 hours) Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service | Online Psychometric Assessments (dwfire.org.uk)
- Stage 3: Practical job-related tests and interviews carried out at Service Control Centre, Potterne, between 13 – 21 January 2026 (candidates are only required to attend one day, not including Saturday/Sunday) Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service | Practical Testing Assessments (dwfire.org.uk)
Candidates will need to be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage in the process. We will be unable to progress your application or offer alternative dates if you cannot attend or complete all stages of the process.
Job Description
Person Specification
Employment Benefits
Job Application Guidance notes
For more detailed information please read the Firefighter (Control) Recruitment Information on our website: Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service | Control recruitment (dwfire.org.uk) . If you have any queries, please check our FAQs: Dorset & Wiltshire Fire Service | Recruitment FAQs (dwfire.org.uk) . If you have any additional questions not covered by our website, you can contact us using the following email address recruitment@dwfire.org.uk .
Our Candidate Charter outlines the commitments we make to you when applying for a vacancy with us.
Please note we do not accept CV’s in place of application forms.
We welcome the use of AI responsibly and ethically to demonstrate your skills in your application, but please don’t allow it to overshadow your own unique voice.
While we appreciate innovative approaches, we also value authenticity. Our assessment considers both the content of the application and how it was created, ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all applicants. At the end of the day – we want YOU to work for us!
We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.
We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying. Please tell us in confidence if this applies to you, or if there are any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post. To find out more, please see our website .
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People. All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.
If you hold international qualifications, you will be required to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK Qualifications. We will accept a Statement of Comparability from a UK organisation called ENIC which can be obtained via their website . Please note that UK ENIC charge for this service, so if you request a Statement of Compatibility, you will be required to pay for it as we are unable to reimburse you.
For further guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or have a need to complete your application in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on 01722 691444 within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for.
Values & Behaviours Framework
Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services. When recruiting, we identify the most important behaviours for the role and these are used as part of the short-listing and selection process.
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