Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service – Not just about Fires!

Off By Ed Hanna

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) isn’t just about big red trucks and putting out fires. Our people deliver a wide range of prevention, protection and emergency response services to over 1.45 million residents.

Our Service area covers rolling countryside, beautiful coastline, rural communities and bustling towns. Some of the busiest roads in the region come through our counties, and we welcome millions of people every year who choose to visit for study, business, leisure and holidays.

We have well-established links with the military because of our location, and we hold the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award. We’ve long been an employer of choice for people looking for a new career, so here’s a bit about who we are and what we do!

We’re not just about fires – we also deal with road traffic collisions, flooding, rescue from height and from water, animal rescue and much more. Some on-call stations provide co-responder medical support to the ambulance service.
We are often called to help our colleagues in the police, the ambulance service, the Coastguard and the military.
We have 50 fire stations, most of which are crewed by on-call firefighters.
Our Service Control Centre answers 999 calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
With over 1,000 firefighters (both wholetime and on-call) and around 300 Corporate staff, we have roles to suit most skill sets and experience.
Our headquarters are in Salisbury and we have other offices in Swindon, Trowbridge, Potterne, Poundbury and Hamworthy. We also have two vehicle workshops.
We serve the local authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole, Dorset, Swindon, and Wiltshire.
In 2023, we were graded as one of the highest performing fire and rescue services in the UK by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services.

There are many benefits to working for us, and full details are on our website. Here are some of the main ones:

Generous pension scheme
Flexible working where possible
Free car parking available to all Service employees at our fire stations, HQ and support offices.
Continuous service available
Access to employee discounts, including Blue Light Card
Family-friendly policies
Access to health & wellbeing support, including physiotherapy and counselling
Free gym access
On-going training and development, including option of apprenticeships

Find out more about us and our job vacancies. Visit: www.dwfire.org.uk/working-for-us/ Email: recruitment@dwfire.org.uk