WMFS Pay Scales 2026: West Midlands Firefighter Salary

WMFS firefighter pay from 1 July 2026 at a glance

WMFS is a Grey Book employer that uses the national pay table. Its 2026/27 Pay Policy Statement says salaries for Grey Book employees are set using nationally agreed pay levels, and that the national award is applied in July for Grey Book staff. The 2026 NJC award was 3.8% from 1 July 2026, as the FBU's settlement page records.

WMFS's firefighter salary page states the current (2026/27) salary for a newly appointed firefighter after completing initial training is £31,539, rising to £40,358 when fully competent. Those are exactly the national Firefighter Development and Firefighter Competent rates on this site's 2026 pay scales, with hourly rates of £14.40 and £18.43. All new recruits now join through the Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship and are paid as firefighter apprentices from day one, according to WMFS's careers pages; the apprenticeship normally takes 24 to 30 months.

Everything below is basic annual salary unless stated. Overtime, the lates premium, the flexi duty allowance and any continual professional development (CPD) payment come on top.

Commander roles: the WMFS names for NJC pay

WMFS uses its own titles. A 2022 FOI response gives the rank structure as Firefighter, Crew Commander, Watch Commander, Station Commander, Group Commander, Area Commander and Brigade Manager. The pay underneath is the NJC's Crew Manager to Area Manager scale. WMFS's 2025 salary FOI even labels some stages with the old ranks: Crew Commander competent '(Ld. Ff)', Watch Commander competent A '(Sub O)' and B '(Stn. O)', and Station Commander competent B '(ADO)'.

We can show the link exactly. Every operational figure in WMFS's 2025 FOI and in Appendix 1D of its 2026/27 Pay Policy Statement equals the corresponding national 2026 rate divided by 1.038: Crew Commander competent £43,104 x 1.038 is £44,742, Watch Commander competent B £48,202 x 1.038 is £50,034, and Station Commander competent B £55,301 x 1.038 is £57,402. So those documents show the 2025 rates, and the 2026 rates for each WMFS role are the national figures below. That is our inference from the arithmetic and WMFS's statement that it uses national pay levels; we have not seen a WMFS table dated after 1 July 2026 for the commander roles.

Hourly rates follow the national formula. Group and Area Commanders are on flexi duty and have no national overtime rate. See the promotion calculator to model a move between roles.

The lates shift premium: 7.5% for commanders

WMFS's 2025 salary FOI (FOI25097) lists separate 'Late Shift' rates for Crew Commanders and Watch Commanders. Every one is exactly 7.5% above the standard rate for the same stage: Crew Commander development £41,322 against £44,421 on lates, competent £43,104 against £46,337, and Watch Commander competent B £48,202 against £51,817. Lates crews work four days on, four off, from 10:00 to 22:00; the WMFS shift pattern guide explains the rota.

Three things we could not verify. First, the FOI answered a question about commanders only, so it does not show whether firefighters on lates receive the same 7.5%; we have not found a WMFS source for a firefighter lates rate and do not state one. Second, we have not seen 2026 lates rates; the table applies 7.5% to the 2026 national rates as an estimate only. Third, we do not know whether the premium is pensionable or how it is shown on a payslip.

Station, Group and Area Commanders: the 20% flexi duty allowance

From Station Commander up, WMFS officers provide 24-hour cover on the flexi duty system. In a 2020 FOI response WMFS said Station Commanders who also provide 24-hour cover receive an additional 20% of basic salary, and that Station Commanders do not normally opt in or out because it is part of the role. The 2026/27 Pay Policy Statement marks the Station, Group and Area Commander figures as inclusive of the 20% flexi duty allowance.

Appendix 1D of the Pay Policy Statement shows the 'including allowances' figures as 120% of the top basic: Station Commander £66,361.20 (£55,301 x 1.2) and Group Commander £76,815.60 (£64,013 x 1.2), both at 2025 rates. The Area Commander line, marked 'local rate', shows £98,155.20, which is 132% of the £74,360 top basic. We could not find what makes up the extra 12 percentage points for Area Commanders, so we do not explain it.

Applying 20% to the 2026 national basic gives the totals below. Our flexi duty allowance guide explains how the allowance works, and a 2021 FOI response describes one Area Commander on a 24-hour 09:00 to 09:00 cover shift at a time.

Chief officer pay in the 2026/27 Pay Policy Statement

Fire authorities must publish a pay policy statement each financial year under the Localism Act 2011. WMFS's 2026/27 statement is dated 14 January 2026 and was uploaded on 24 March 2026. Appendix 1D gives the Brigade Manager salaries: Chief Fire Officer £208,012, Deputy Chief Fire Officer £166,972 and two Assistant Chief Fire Officers at £156,712 each, with a note that those salaries incorporate on-call or continuous cover. The Deputy is shown at 0.80 of the Chief's pay and the Assistants at 0.75.

The statement says principal officer pay follows the national Gold Book with local decisions by the fire authority, that a Gold Book pay review took place in 2025 and will be repeated every two years, and that WMFS does not use performance-related pay or bonuses for chief officers. It also gives a pay relationship for each role against the Chief Fire Officer's salary: a competent firefighter at the 2025 rate is 0.19 of the CFO, and the lowest-paid Grey Book role listed, a trainee control firefighter, 0.14.

For the national picture see the chief fire officer salary guide. WMFS's statement also notes it is an accredited Real Living Wage employer, which matters for its Green Book support staff rather than firefighters.

What a WMFS firefighter takes home

The figures use the site's 2026/27 model: England and Wales income tax with a 1257L code, employee National Insurance at 8% between £12,570 and £50,270 and 2% above, and FPS 2015 contributions by pay band (11.09% up to £36,130, 12.59% up to £45,407, 14.09% up to £66,908, 15.59% above). Pension comes off before tax; no student loan, salary sacrifice, overtime, lates premium or CPD is included.

Hand-checking the competent firefighter: 12.59% of £40,358 is £5,081.07. Taxable pay after pension and the £12,570 allowance is £22,706.93, taxed at 20% to give £4,541.39. National Insurance is (£40,358 minus £12,570) x 8%, £2,223.04. Take-home is £28,512.50 a year, £2,376.04 a month. Flexi officers are modelled on basic plus 20%, treated as pensionable; check how your own pensionable pay is calculated.

One discrepancy to flag. WMFS's salary page says a firefighter contributes 10% of salary to the pension. The FPS 2015 tiered rates used by this site put a firefighter at 11.09% (development) or 12.59% (competent). We could not reconcile the 10% figure with the scheme rates, so check the pension line on your payslip.

CPD, overtime, holiday pay and other payments

CPD: WMFS's Pay Policy Statement records its FPS 2015 discretion that continual professional development payments are pensionable. It does not state the amount or eligibility, and we did not find a WMFS CPD rate, so we do not give one. Our CPD payments page explains how to check a CPD line on a payslip.

Overtime and extra shifts: the national hourly rate for a competent firefighter is £18.43 and time and a half is £27.65, so a 10-hour day is about £277 and a 14-hour night about £387 at that rate. WMFS FOI responses refer to standbys and voluntary additional shifts (VAS), and a 2022 response said voluntary Commonwealth Games shifts were paid at time and a half, but we have not seen WMFS's current overtime policy. Since 1 February 2020 WMFS has included non-guaranteed overtime in holiday pay, per a 2020 FOI response. See firefighter overtime rates.

Family pay and benefits: WMFS's salary page advertises enhanced maternity and adoption benefits including 52 weeks' full pay, 22 days' annual leave rising by three after five years, plus eight bank holidays, on-site gyms at most stations and occupational health. Staff who move out of Fire Control into operational roles are paid on the NJC firefighter scale rather than the control scale, according to a 2023 FOI response.

Recruitment status and what new starters are paid

WMFS says it runs a rolling recruitment programme for firefighters rather than fixed campaigns. In a 2025 FOI response it said it received 4,688 expressions of interest in 2024, employs about 80 trainee firefighters a year on average, and had 97 trainees start in 2024/25. From January 2026 all new recruits join as firefighter apprentices on the Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship, starting with a 12-week full-time Trainee Firefighter Development Programme, and are paid from day one.

To apply you must be 18 or over, live within the WMFS service area, be able to swim 25 metres (or achieve it before starting), and hold or obtain a full UK driving licence within six months of completing selection, according to WMFS's careers page. There is a 12-month wait to reapply. WMFS's Fire Control careers page was contradictory when we read it, saying both that control is not recruiting and that it is, so check the jobs portal directly.

For the wider picture see when fire services are recruiting and trainee firefighter pay. WMFS's April 2026 FOI response gave a wholetime headcount of 1,359: 805 firefighters, 482 Crew and Watch Commanders, 65 Station and Group Commanders and 7 strategic managers.

How to check your WMFS payslip against the scale

Start with the basic. A competent firefighter should be on £40,358 from 1 July 2026 and a development firefighter on £31,539; commanders should match the 2026 NJC column in the table above, not the 2025 figures in WMFS's FOI or Pay Policy Statement. WMFS's statement says the national award is applied to Grey Book staff in July, so if your pay has not moved, ask about back pay; our back pay guide explains how arrears work.

Then check the extras: the lates premium if you are on a lates watch, the 20% flexi duty allowance if you are a Station Commander or above, any CPD payment, and overtime or VAS at the right rate. Check the pension contribution rate against the band for your pensionable pay. The free payslip checker compares your entries with expected rates, and the paid report below turns it into a document you can take to payroll.