Wholetime Firefighter – Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service

Wholetime Firefighter Recruitment – Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service is pleased to invite applications for Wholetime Firefighters through the Apprenticeship route to join us in this challenging and highly rewarding career.
The role of a firefighter is varied and as well as responding to a range of incidents, it includes providing fire safety advice and engaging with local communities, through safety advice events, education activities and campaigns.
There isn’t one stereotypical firefighter and we’re keen to encourage people of all backgrounds to apply to join our highly skilled teams. Our #One Team For Berkshire  campaign highlights the diversity of both people and roles within the Service, all working to serve the people of Royal Berkshire. Appointing the right people is essential in helping us to achieve our goals for the future.

You can also read the experiences of some of our staff on the website.

Anyone, from any background or walk of life can apply to be a firefighter, so long as they are new to the role (due to the apprenticeship terms). This could be someone at the beginning of their career, those returning to work after a career break or those looking for a change of career later in life. All applicants will be selected based on the same standards and decisions will be based on merit.

Our recruitment opens on Monday 16th February 2026 at 12:00pm with the initial application stage closing on Monday 16th March 2026 at 09:00am. Please note we will not have a cap on the number of applications available this year however you will be required to submit a supporting statement within your online application form so please allow yourself time to complete this.

Please complete your application before the deadline to avoid disappointment. It is important you only apply once, as multiple applications will not be counted. If you make an error in your application please contact us, rather than applying again.

Please note that for this campaign we have restricted applications to individuals who live within a 40-mile radius of the centre of Reading. This enables everyone within Berkshire and some surrounding areas to apply. Please see the attached campaign booklet for eligible postcodes. You will need to provide evidence that you reside at the address provided during the initial application later within the recruitment process.

Applicants must also be 17 and six months or over at the point of application.

We invite all candidates to read the attached campaign booklet before applying. This document has been written to provide you with the details of each stage of the recruitment process for a Wholetime firefighter. It is important to know how you will be assessed and what you can expect at each stage.

Please note we are only accepting applications via the web address published above. Therefore please do not sent any CVs or other application forms to Royal Berkshire Fire and Service as these will not be accepted.