retained firefigher

viking861

Hi...
just wondering if anyone can give me advice on this..i want to apply to the firestation but im worried ill get refused due to getting put off the road for drink driving 10 years ago...am i 100% doomed to fail?

Tintin8

viking861 wrote: »

Hi...
just wondering if anyone can give me advice on this..i want to apply to the firestation but im worried ill get refused due to getting put off the road for drink driving 10 years ago...am i 100% doomed to fail?

Quick answer!!!!! NO!


If it's been 10 years and your record is clean since then u may be ok. Unless you've a conviction still? In that case it may be difficult.
I would apply anyway

viking861

Tintin8 wrote: »

Quick answer!!!!! NO!


If it's been 10 years and your record is clean since then u may be ok. Unless you've a conviction still? In that case it may be difficult.
I would apply anyway

Thanks....no thats the only thing i ever had happen. I just dont wont to be wasting my time ya know

Tintin8

viking861 wrote: »

Thanks....no thats the only thing i ever had happen. I just dont wont to be wasting my time ya know

My advice is to be 100% honest on your application. If u say nothing and they find out your a goner. They'll appreciate honesty. Whatever is on your record will come through with garda vetting.

Best of luck

civdef

I agree with the above advice.

viking861

cheers lads thanks

WhiteWalls

would a retained fire fighter be similar to the garda reserve?

Tintin8

WhiteWalls wrote: »

would a retained fire fighter be similar to the garda reserve?

Not in the slightest!

Retained lads get paid per call and get a retainer of about €2500 every 3 months!
They also get €188 a week benefit from social welfare.

Garda reserve don't !

civdef

Retained firefighters are providing 24/7/365 frontline statutory fire cover across the majority of this country.
They maintain extremely high standards of training and readiness and are equipped with equipment equivalent to the best available anywhere in the world. They do all this whilst balancing their own careers and family lives, often coming back from a hard call at night to face a full day's work in their other job. Their families have to deal with the fact that they can be called to an emergency at any time, often at inconvenient times. Even something as simple as going shopping needs to be planned for.

The social welfare payment would only apply if they were unemployed.

There is no way, shape or form in which retained firefighters are anything other than professional frontline emergency workers - any for my money they're one of the most under-appreciated groups in this country.

For the record, I am not a retained firefighter saying this.

Tintin8

civdef wrote: »

Retained firefighters are providing 24/7/365 frontline statutory fire cover across the majority of this country.
They maintain extremely high standards of training and readiness and are equipped with equipment equivalent to the best available anywhere in the world. They do all this whilst balancing their own careers and family lives, often coming back from a hard call at night to face a full day's work in their other job. Their families have to deal with the fact that they can be called to an emergency at any time, often at inconvenient times. Even something as simple as going shopping needs to be planned for.

The social welfare payment would only apply if they were unemployed.

There is no way, shape or form in which retained firefighters are anything other than professional frontline emergency workers - any for my money they're one of the most under-appreciated groups in this country.

For the record, I am not a retained firefighter saying this.

I agree, I was retained for many years!

Most lads can't get other jobs anymore because the beepers can go anytime and potential employers would rather have somebody who will be in work for the whole shift and not run off when a call comes in. The €188 is only givin to you if you've enough stamps paid in the previous years.
Without this €188 or a second job the retained service pay is NOT good enough. Trust me .


It's like a prison sentence at times. Hanging around the town doing fu(k all waiting for calls can get boring . That's why the lads deserve so much respect and credit for what they do because it's a lifestyle. Not a job.


I felt unemployed at times .

Well unless your in a station that gets 500 calls a year which only a handful of retained stations in the country get close to.

iceage

500 calls, I F**king wish!

micko82

Having a conviction does not automatically ban u from applying for this job. Aswell it is only a minor offence that happened ten years ago. Apply for the job and just be honest when you have to fill in the garda vetting form. Even though i think a new law has come in that if you havent offended in 7 years the gards apply an administrative filter so you conviction shouldnt even come back wit the vetting form. Even though its always better to be honest

iceage

You could always check yourself does it still stand.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/justice/law_and_rights/access_to_garda_records.html

Gael23

Also when your retained you are not entitled to a pension on retirement at 57. You only get a cash lump sum but no income.

viking861

So does anyone know how long you have to wait for the results of the medical?? or does the doctor tell you on the day? I thought urine tests take ages to exam so surely they cant tell you you've passed on the day??

civdef

ryanf1 wrote: »

Also when your retained you are not entitled to a pension on retirement at 57. You only get a cash lump sum but no income.

That's changed now, new entrant retained firefighters go onto a pension scheme .

Tintin8

Well it's probably very little...

How can it work if u only have 2 set hours a week that are guaranteed?

At the moment ye get about a grand a years service. I got 4grand gratuity when I left after 4 years.

Couldn't get a mortgage retained , money very unreliable .

I also hated going on holiday coz u don't get paid for the calls u miss . So u may only get the dole for the 2 weeks

shamrock55

If applying for retained position would it be a dissadvantage being unemployed?, as in would they prefer you to already have a job locally, in case that down the line you get a full time job maybe outside the 2 mile zone or a job that you might have to travel and you would no longer be suitable, or does it not matter in the slightest?

iceage

There is no disadvantage to being unemployed when applying to the Fire service, every applicant will be assessed on their own merits. If you do happen to find employment later on while retained you will need to advise them of that fact and be sure that you can respond to calls and live/work within the call radius of the Station, in some Stations its as little as 5 mins max.

Tintin8

shamrock55 wrote: »

If applying for retained position would it be a dissadvantage being unemployed?, as in would they prefer you to already have a job locally, in case that down the line you get a full time job maybe outside the 2 mile zone or a job that you might have to travel and you would no longer be suitable, or does it not matter in the slightest?

Won't be a problem but be prepared to dedicate your whole life to the retained. You will not be able to get another job unless it's within 2 miles from your station or about 5 mins. I know in Kildare if your not in the station before 10mins you don't get paid for the call. I personally couldn't get employed because I was in the retained! You may have better luck than me ! Sure you can claim the dole as well as the retained so prob not worth your while getting another part time job

shamrock55

Thanks for the replys lads, another thing is would it be a dissadvantage to not have a full c licence, i have a b, but not a c, is there anything else they would like an applicant to have?, i have cpr and defib course done and also a 3 day firefighter course done that included use of ba, i have a good standard of fitness also, the only thing that concerns me a bit is my age as im 38, could go against me?

iceage

If your successful in your application and make it through your interview and panel and then onto your basic recruit training the Brigade will train you in all aspects of the job. You will also be expected to keep up your skills and fitness and will continue to undertake refresher training for many of the aspects throughout your whole career in the Brigade.

All that you have mentioned will be a help during your interview, A C licence would be of benefit(again the Brigade would retest you anyway) but as of yet it has not become a prerequisite for entry to the job. As for the the 3 day intro you did to firefighting, again if you are successful and get through you will undertake a proper and much longer BA initial training course.

As for your age, relax I was 45 when I went through. Keep up your fitness levels, cardio, strength conditioning, weights etc that will stand to you and will make things easier for you, it can be quite tough at stages. Its all about a positive mental attitude and physical stamina and having the will to crack on and get the job done, there were younger guys on my recruits that I left standing!

Tintin8

shamrock55 wrote: »

Thanks for the replys lads, another thing is would it be a dissadvantage to not have a full c licence, i have a b, but not a c, is there anything else they would like an applicant to have?, i have cpr and defib course done and also a 3 day firefighter course done that included use of ba, i have a good standard of fitness also, the only thing that concerns me a bit is my age as im 38, could go against me?

The way I put it is if u don't have a C license and the next guy does that could be the difference.

I'd recommend get the theory done anyway.

You don't need it though so don't worry if you don't .

You'll have more done than most lads course wise so fair play to you .

As for your age, no problem.

A lad that trained with us on our recruits was 48 and flew through the 10weeks. He was brilliant.

If you were in civil defence and did as much first aid as you can before applying it would be great. Also as said earlier the license

shamrock55

Tintin8 wrote: »

Well it's probably very little...

How can it work if u only have 2 set hours a week that are guaranteed?

At the moment ye get about a grand a years service. I got 4grand gratuity when I left after 4 years.

Couldn't get a mortgage retained , money very unreliable .

I also hated going on holiday coz u don't get paid for the calls u miss . So u may only get the dole for the 2 weeks

Can i ask roughly how many call outs did your station get per year when you were retained

Tintin8

shamrock55 wrote: »

Can i ask roughly how many call outs did your station get per year when you were retained

200

yourpics

Is there a minimum eyesight requirement??

Tintin8

yourpics wrote: »

Is there a minimum eyesight requirement??

Yes you'll do a eyetest with your doctor before employment. 20/20 is what's needed

yourpics

Tintin8 wrote: »

Yes you'll do a eyetest with your doctor before employment. 20/20 is what's needed

Ah frig, that is me discounted then! Always thought it was unfair in the Gardai that they removed height restriction but not eyesight!!

iceage

I think you'll find that 20/20 is not the case. Most Counties Medical guidelines state the below requirements which have been in place since about 2005. I personally know of two recruits from two separate Counties that wear glasses and were able to pass the eyesight requirements and go on to pass their Recruit training.


"Visual Acuity – the minimum visual acuity of the fire fighter should normally be 6/18. This must in no case fall below 6/24 correctable to 6/9, 6/12 and any decision should be taken after consideration of the fire fighters operational ability and other aspects of visual function.

Fire fighters may use spectacles of an appropriate specification on the fire ground should they be needed to obtain this standard of vision.

Fire fighters should have a normal binocular visual field as determined by confrontational techniques.

Near vision is only likely to become a problem with the hypermetropic entrant when the age of 40 or more has been reached. At this time unaided distance acuity should be as set out above. It is not thought necessary to routinely test near vision. The loss of normal accommodative power in the eye over the age of 40 should not prove a disqualification for operational fire fighting.

Tintin8

iceage wrote: »

I think you'll find that 20/20 is not the case. Most Counties Medical guidelines state the below requirements which have been in place since about 2005. I personally know of two recruits from two separate Counties that wear glasses and were able to pass the eyesight requirements and go on to pass their Recruit training.


"Visual Acuity – the minimum visual acuity of the fire fighter should normally be 6/18. This must in no case fall below 6/24 correctable to 6/9, 6/12 and any decision should be taken after consideration of the fire fighters operational ability and other aspects of visual function.

Fire fighters may use spectacles of an appropriate specification on the fire ground should they be needed to obtain this standard of vision.

Fire fighters should have a normal binocular visual field as determined by confrontational techniques.

Near vision is only likely to become a problem with the hypermetropic entrant when the age of 40 or more has been reached. At this time unaided distance acuity should be as set out above. It is not thought necessary to routinely test near vision. The loss of normal accommodative power in the eye over the age of 40 should not prove a disqualification for operational fire fighting.

Retained services won't be as strict but fulltime is definitely 20/20

snams

What's the difference between a full and retained firefighter when the two of them are next to each other in a burning building?

D Trent

snams wrote: »

What's the difference between a full and retained firefighter when the two of them are next to each other in a burning building?

Oooh yess I love jokes.

I dunno go on tell us .....

Tintin8

snams wrote: »

What's the difference between a full and retained firefighter when the two of them are next to each other in a burning building?

No difference whatsoever!

That's just the way it is with the 20/20 requirements . The fulltime brigades are definitely stricter with the medical. That's all I'm saying

Tintin8

Tintin8 wrote: »

No difference whatsoever!

That's just the way it is with the 20/20 requirements . The fulltime brigades are definitely stricter with the medical. That's all I'm saying

Actually the difference is the retained lads probably going to earn more money for that call than the full timer :-)

snams

D Trent wrote: »

Oooh yess I love jokes.

I dunno go on tell us .....

Does your mamma know that you're sarcastic?

iceage

Tintin8 wrote: »

Actually the difference is the retained lads probably going to earn more money for that call than the full timer :-)

Not on the low rate Tintin8 But its never been about the money has it?

Differences between a retained and a whole time Firefighter? Not a lot really, we undertake the same training(retained is drawn out over a longer period for obvious reasons), we answer the same calls, we put out the same fires, treat the same casualties, rescue the same cats up trees etc. Only thing is as retained we're on call 24/7 365 days a year on a rota system and juggle full time lives and jobs outside the Brigade and the whole time lads work a shift pattern.

The long and short of it in my book anyway is a Firefighter is a Firefighter, is a Firefighter.

Tintin8

iceage wrote: »

Not on the low rate Tintin8 But its never been about the money has it?

Differences between a retained and a whole time Firefighter? Not a lot really, we undertake the same training(retained is drawn out over a longer period for obvious reasons), we answer the same calls, we put out the same fires, treat the same casualties, rescue the same cats up trees etc. Only thing is as retained we're on call 24/7 365 days a year on a rota system and juggle full time lives and jobs outside the Brigade and the whole time lads work a shift pattern.

The long and short of it in my book anyway is a Firefighter is a Firefighter, is a Firefighter.

I agree 100%.

Same job, just worked differently

shamrock55

At the end of the interview when asked if you have any questions, what would be a good question to ask?

palmtrees

shamrock55 wrote: »

At the end of the interview when asked if you have any questions, what would be a good question to ask?

What is the next step in the application process, when will you hear back from them, what is the call volume for the station, etc. etc. would be good general questions.

Tintin8

shamrock55 wrote: »

At the end of the interview when asked if you have any questions, what would be a good question to ask?

Say Ive no question but I'd like to say if I'm lucky enough to get the job I won't let you down!

shamrock55

Could someone here maybe pm me some sample questions that might be asked at the interview please.

Heathen

shamrock55 wrote: »

Could someone here maybe pm me some sample questions that might be asked at the interview please.

I can't remember any specific questions that were asked during my interview (about 4 years ago now) but i found that i was able to drive the interview in the direction i wanted to by talking about specific things i knew a lot about... in other words, whenever they asked me something i would explain it and mention something like "Holmatro" equipment etc etc... so they would then ask, "oh, tell us about holmatro equipment" and i was able to talk confidently about that as i was familiar with it... likewise for other aspects of the job that i was familiar with, and it worked very well, i did a brilliant interview and came first on the panel.

One things to look out for is that sometimes they will have someone play devil's advocate... it happened in my interview and a mate of mine when he did his years before me... Basically one of the interviewers acts a bit sarcastic towards your answers, or will ask you something and then not be interested in your answer (looking out the window or at their watch)... this is you try throw you off and see how you react.. keep the head and stay professional and confident but not cocky and you will be fine.

ps. the person that did the devils advocate in my interview actually turned out to be really sound when i met them months later as a member

Enjoy, and best of luck

H

shamrock55

Sorry folks, i know this has been mentioned before but i cant find it for the life of me, can someone tell me the retainer a retained firefighter gets, also the training rates and call out rates, cheers;)

Its ok i just found it

shamrock55

I have my medical next wk for retained firefighter, what can i expect and how long will i be there?

Heathen

From what i remember.....

Eye test
hearing test
resting heart rate
chester step test

...... anyone else remember the rest?

shamrock55

Does the eye test have to be 20/20 cos i have a fair idea i dont have 20/20, its ok but its deffo not 20/20

Tintin8

shamrock55 wrote: »

Does the eye test have to be 20/20 cos i have a fair idea i dont have 20/20, its ok but its deffo not 20/20

You should ask someone in the brigade in question or just ring whoever is doing your Medical.

iceage

Blood pressure.
Lung function test.
Urine sample.
Small bit on your medical history.
Strength test(Pull/grip/lift test)
Eye test(Near sight/far sight/colour blind test, you'll look into a viewer for this)
Hearing test(tones wearing head phones)
Chester step test, incremental over a time period.

Your age will be taken into account for ALL of the above so don't worry, try and relax as best you can and don't stop on the Chester step test, the aim is to continue but without maxing out on your upper heart rate. All of this was done by a Nurse for me and then there was a final basic examination by a Doctor, listened to my heart, lungs, palpated abdomen, all the basic stuff. Best of luck.

shamrock55

Tintin8 wrote: »

You should ask someone in the brigade in question or just ring whoever is doing your Medical.

So rang me tonight and went through what i could expect in the medical, he doesnt think it has to be 20/20 he wears glasses himself

shamrock55

iceage wrote: »

Blood pressure.
Lung function test.
Urine sample.
Small bit on your medical history.
Strength test(Pull/grip/lift test)
Eye test(Near sight/far sight/colour blind test, you'll look into a viewer for this)
Hearing test(tones wearing head phones)
Chester step test, incremental over a time period.

Your age will be taken into account for ALL of the above so don't worry, try and relax as best you can and don't stop on the Chester step test, the aim is to continue but without maxing out on your upper heart rate. All of this was done by a Nurse for me and then there was a final basic examination by a Doctor, listened to my heart, lungs, palpated abdomen, all the basic stuff. Best of luck.

Thanks for this info

iceage

Your SO is correct 20/20 or 6/6 Eyesight as it's known now is not required for retained service, I think I might have stuck up a post about it earlier Shamrock but I'm too lazy to find it! If you wear glasses bring them with you, you will be tested with your glasses, the whole medical takes roughly about an hour, try to relax and let us know how you get on.