What an on-call firefighter is
On-call firefighters, sometimes still called retained firefighters, provide emergency response cover while keeping other work or commitments. According to NFCC, they respond from home or work rather than working fixed shifts at the station, and their hours are flexible and depend on individual contracts. Cover can be full days or part of the day or night. Call frequency is unpredictable, ranging from several a day to about one a week depending on the station and season.
On-call firefighters are trained to operational standards and attend a wide variety of incidents, including fires, road traffic collisions, flooding and animal rescues, depending on the station's local risk. They are paid employees, and NFCC notes that full training is provided and that staff are supported to gain an HGV licence if they want to drive fire engines.
This route is especially relevant in rural and smaller communities where wholetime crews are not based. If you are weighing routes, read wholetime vs on-call firefighter, and for the practicalities of managing availability, see on-call firefighter availability.
Who can apply: the requirements
NFCC's on-call page sets out the headline requirements. You must be at least 18, with no maximum age. Applicants pass fitness testing described in the service's process (NFCC refers to bleep and Chester treadmill tests) and a medical, and NFCC quotes a minimum uncorrected vision of 6/18 in the better eye and 6/24 in the worse eye. It states no height requirement and no driving licence requirement, though a UK licence is desirable. Specific details vary by service, so check your own local pack.
The most restrictive practical requirement is location. On-call firefighters must be able to get to the station quickly when alerted; NFCC says you are usually expected to arrive within a matter of minutes of the alert, and individual services commonly quote around five minutes. That normally means living or working within a short distance of the station during your cover hours.
Employers matter too. If you plan to respond from work, your employer must be willing to release you in an emergency, and NFCC provides a guide to help employers understand what on-call firefighting involves. Speak to your employer before applying, because a supportive answer makes your application and your on-call life much easier.
| Requirement | What NFCC says (checked 29 September 2026) | What to check locally |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Minimum 18, no maximum | Any local wording on age at application |
| Fitness | Bleep and Chester treadmill tests referred to | Which test, what standard, retest rules |
| Vision | Minimum uncorrected 6/18 better eye, 6/24 worse eye | Current standard and any correction rules |
| Height | No requirement | Any equipment fit constraints |
| Driving licence | Not required, UK licence desirable | Whether the station needs drivers |
| Response time | Usually within minutes of alert | Exact distance or minutes for your station |
| Training | Weekly attendance mandatory | Drill night and any additional courses |
The route into on-call: step by step
The process is broadly similar to wholetime but often more local and more frequent. Many services run rolling or station-specific recruitment, advertising when a particular station has a vacancy. That is different from the large wholetime campaigns, and it means you should contact your nearest station or the service's on-call recruitment team to find out when and how they recruit.
- Check your location and availability. Identify the stations within response distance of your home and, if relevant, your workplace, and list the days and hours you could honestly commit to.
- Speak to the station or recruitment team. Ask what vacancies exist, what availability is needed and whether you can visit a drill night. A visit is the best way to test whether the role suits you.
- Talk to your employer and family. Agree the release for call-outs and the impact on household routines, including sleep and childcare.
- Apply and complete tests. Expect an application form, sometimes an online assessment or interview, and the fitness tests your service sets.
- Pass the medical and checks. Provide records, references and identity documents; be honest about any medical condition or criminal record.
- Complete initial training. NFCC states full training is provided; the format and length vary by service, with many using evening, weekend and residential blocks.
- Start providing cover. Your contract sets your hours of availability and the payment structure.
Hours, drill nights and lifestyle
Availability is the heart of the on-call commitment. You agree hours during which you will be available and able to respond; outside those hours you are free. Services differ in how they structure cover, from full-cover contracts to partial availability that covers only certain days or nights. Some may allow you to combine on-call with a day job or family responsibilities, others struggle to recruit for daytime cover where employers cannot release staff.
NFCC states that weekly training attendance is mandatory, and service pages describe drill nights of around three hours each week for practising skills. You will also complete courses, assessments and refreshers throughout the year. When the pager goes, you leave what you are doing and go, and you may be out for a short time or for many hours depending on the incident.
Think honestly about sleep, alcohol and caring responsibilities. A night call-out followed by a full working day is tiring, and you must be fit to respond safely. Ask serving on-call firefighters how they manage. Our on-call firefighter availability guide covers this in depth.
How on-call pay works, with a worked example
On-call pay is not a simple wage. It combines a retainer for being available, payment for work activity such as drills and incidents, and a disturbance payment for call-outs. The national table sets the full annual retainer at 15 per cent of the matching wholetime salary and the day-crewing retainer at 5 per cent. From 1 July 2026 that is £6,054 for a competent firefighter and £4,731 for a development firefighter on full cover, with £2,018 and £1,577 at day-crewing rates. The competent hourly rate is £18.43 and the development rate is £14.40, and the published disturbance payment is £5.31 per occasion.
To illustrate, suppose a new on-call firefighter on full cover attends 46 drill nights of three hours and responds to 60 call-outs a year lasting 1.5 hours each on average. This is an example and not a forecast; real activity varies with your station. At the development rate this gives a retainer of £4,731, plus 228 hours of activity (138 drill hours and 90 incident hours) at £14.40 = £3,283.20, plus 60 disturbance payments of £5.31 = £318.60, a total of £8,332.80 a year before tax. At the competent rate the same activity gives £6,054 + £4,202.04 (228 hours x £18.43) + £318.60 = £10,574.64.
Because contracts and availability bands are set locally, ask your service for a worked pay example and the exact retainer basis before you commit. Then use the on-call pay calculator to test scenarios, read on-call firefighter pay for the structure and see firefighter allowances for local extras. The on-call earnings planner and the paid on-call planner can help you model different availability patterns.
| Element | Development rate | Competent rate |
|---|---|---|
| Full retainer | £4,731.00 | £6,054.00 |
| Drill hours: 46 x 3 = 138 h | £1,987.20 | £2,543.34 |
| Incident hours: 60 x 1.5 = 90 h | £1,296.00 | £1,658.70 |
| Disturbance: 60 x £5.31 | £318.60 | £318.60 |
| Total before tax | £8,332.80 | £10,574.64 |
Rates from NJC circular 2/26 effective 1 July 2026: development £14.40 an hour, competent £18.43. Activity is an assumption for illustration only. Retainer applies to full cover; day-crewing retainer is lower.
Fitness and selection for on-call
The fitness standard is the same operational standard used for wholetime candidates in many services, and NFCC refers to bleep and Chester treadmill tests. Build to the level 8.8 shuttle-run benchmark or to the treadmill standard your service uses, and add strength for the practical stations. Our bleep test standard guide and fitness tests explained have training plans.
Interview questions focus on your reliability, teamwork and understanding of the on-call commitment: can you honestly cover the hours you offer, and how will you manage it around work and family? Prepare examples of turning up when you said you would and working in a team. The firefighter interview questions guide is a starting point, with the Core Code of Ethics as a values frame.
For a broader view of the joining landscape, see how to become a firefighter in the UK, and use the bleep test calculator to check your practice results. The Fitness Pass Suite supports structured preparation.
Free toolBleep test calculatorCompare your bleep test level with the level 8.8 benchmark many services publish and see what to aim for next.Open the free bleep test calculator →Benefits, pension and tax
NFCC's on-call page says holiday entitlement is typically four weeks a year, rising to five after five years, and that pension enrolment is automatic from day one. The precise pension arrangements depend on your nation and scheme; see the firefighter pension 2015 guide and check with your service for how on-call pay counts towards benefits.
On-call earnings are taxable employment income. If on-call is a second job, the tax code used by payroll may differ from your main job, and totals across jobs determine your tax liability. Use the pay calculator as a planning tool, not a guarantee. Our guide to a firefighter second job covers combining roles.
It is also worth thinking about progression. Many on-call firefighters remain in the role for years, others apply for wholetime posts, and some develop into crew or watch manager roles. There is no automatic transfer between routes, and transfer between fire services explains what moving involves.
Is on-call right for you? A decision checklist
Ask yourself several questions before applying. Can you reach the station within the response time at the hours you would cover? Would your employer release you? How would a night call affect your family and job? Are you prepared for the weekly drill night and additional courses over the year? Can you cope emotionally with what incidents can involve, and do you know where to get support?
If the answers are broadly positive, visit a station and speak to crew. If they are not, consider a different availability pattern, a wholetime application or waiting until your circumstances change. Remember that many services report difficulty recruiting on-call firefighters for daytime cover, so a realistic offer of weekday availability can be valuable.
Finally, keep the financial picture honest. On-call pay is a supplement for most people, and a second source of income rather than a full salary. Use the Firefighter Career Suite or the Candidate Bundle if you want the tools together.
Frequently asked questions
How do I become an on-call firefighter?
Check that you live or work within response distance of a station, contact the station or service recruitment team, apply and pass the fitness tests and medical, complete initial training and agree your availability. NFCC states the minimum age is 18 with no maximum.
How much do on-call firefighters get paid?
Pay combines a retainer, hourly activity pay and call-out payments. From 1 July 2026 the full annual retainer is £6,054 for a competent firefighter and £4,731 at development rate, with £18.43 or £14.40 an hour for activity and £5.31 per disturbance. Real earnings vary by station.
How close do I have to live to a fire station to be on-call?
You must reach the station within a short response time when on cover. NFCC says usually within minutes of the alert, and services commonly quote about five minutes. Your local service sets the exact requirement.
How many hours a week is on-call?
It depends on your contract. Availability can be full days or part of the day or night, and you also attend weekly training. Service pages describe drill nights of about three hours. The retainer pays for availability, not for 120 paid working hours.
Do I need a driving licence to be an on-call firefighter?
NFCC says no driving licence is required, though a UK licence is desirable, and that staff are supported to gain an HGV licence. Some stations may need drivers, so check local requirements.
Is there a maximum age to become an on-call firefighter?
NFCC states a minimum age of 18 and no maximum. You still have to pass the fitness tests and medical, which apply regardless of age.
Can I be on-call with another job?
Yes, many on-call firefighters have another job, but your employer must be willing to release you for emergencies during your cover hours. NFCC provides employer guidance, and it helps to speak to your employer before you apply.