Job Description

Firefighter (Control) – Fire Control

About the role:

Would you like to join our professional dedicated Fire Control Team, as a Firefighter (Control) Operator based in Tolvaddon at the Service Headquarters? (link to NFCC Control site)

Fire Control are a crucial part of Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service as the first point of contact for all emergency calls. It is staffed 24 hours a day and you will work on a designated Watch, working 12 hours shifts on a 2 day-2 night- 4 off shift system.

The role of a Firefighter (Control) Operator is responsible primarily for supporting the delivery of services provided by Cornwall Fire & Rescue Control Room.

You’ll work as a part of wide-reaching team, so you will need to be an effective, confident communicator using written, verbal, active listening and audio typist skills. You will answer emergency calls from various sources including other Emergency Services, specialist bodies and neighbouring and national Fire and Rescue Service Controls concerning incidents and operate / monitor all systems within the Control Room in a professional and efficient manner. You’ll be required to obtain necessary information from callers for mobilising purposes, undertaking radio communication with appliances and vehicles, monitoring movements, resource management of appliances and officers, responding to radio messages from the incident ground and support all Fire Control and operational functions.

Firefighter (Control) Operators are trained and skilled in specialised call handling techniques. You must be able to maintain a balance between giving clear, direct advice while having a compassionate tone to support and protect callers in potentially life-threatening situations. You must be able to remain calm and level-headed, whilst dealing with high-pressure situations, prioritise work streams, follow instructions and make critical decisions. You’ll need to be able to listen carefully and know the right questions to ask. The ability to capture information quickly and accurately to assess the situation and an attention to detail to recorded accurate data is crucial. You need to be able to promptly identify the caller’s exact location and mobilise the right emergency crews to that position. Firefighter (Control)Operators must have a resilience and ability to deal sensitively with people who are in distress. You may provide lifesaving advice to people who might be trapped inside a burning building and continue to reassure them until the firefighters arrive on scene. They are also trained in dealing with multiple incident types, such road traffic collisions and hazardous materials incidents.

As part of your role, you will be required to take Cornwall Council out of hours Highways calls and other out of our services. This will require you to input accurate information using software and bespoke systems and tools as required.

You will be able to contribute to the protection, prevention and emergency response functions of the Service, to save and protect life, property and the environment. You will be able to promote our Services vision for equality, diversity and inclusion, build a positive culture and work together to make Cornwall safer.

Eligibility to apply:

We are looking for candidates who have excellent communication skills, have good ICT skills, positive, motived, are resilient and flexible and who would enjoy working as part of a team in a high-pressured environment.

Firefighter (Control) Operators from another Fire & Rescue Service are welcome to apply to this process. We will need proof of competency and any other training records from your current Service if successful in the process.

Application Criteria

• Complete application on Cornwall Council portal (Please see below)

• Have skills in line with theNFCC Leadership Frameworkand the NFCC Code of Ethics

• Demonstrate key qualities and attributes required to perform the role.

• ICT skills including the use of Microsoft Word and Outlook.

• Good keyboard skills including audio typing.

• Good communication (written and verbal)

• Worked as part of a team.

• Experience/or ability to collate and interpret information received by a telephone/radio and relay this accurately

• Telephone experience

Desirable

• Experience in using Vision 4 mobilising system and DS3000 ICCS or similar mobilising system

• Experience in working in an emergency, call taking environment or customer service

• Currently a competent Firefighter (Control) Operator.

• Experience of previous shift work

• Experience of admin/clerical duties

To assist with your application personnel are encouraged to review the role profile (attached below)

Panel

Application process (Stage 1)

A Supporting statement

2 Questions

(maximum 1000 words for each answer)

Assessment Centre (Stage 2)

Role specific testing to include radio, telephony, recall of information and typing.

Interview (Stage 3)

4 Questions

Only personnel successful at the application shortlisting stage will be invited to interview which will include role related skills tests.

Assessment Framework

• Applicants will be assessed at all stages againstNFCC Leadership Framework and NFCC Code of Ethics

• Firefighter (Control) role profile

Scoring of application forms

• Applicants’ application form will be scored to progress to Stage 2.

Feedback

• All applicants who reach Stage 2 and 3 will receive feedback whether successful or not.

• Feedback will be available from and delivered by panel members.

Salary

• Firefighter (Control)

• £27,970 (18-month development programme)

• £35,791 (competent pay)

Training

• Initial training will be given but you must self-motivate and committed to ongoing learning and development to hone your skills as a Firefighter (Control) Operator.

• The initial training being 7 weeks, followed by an 18-month development program.

• You will be required to complete regular written and practical tests to confirm knowledge and ability to competently carry out the role of a Firefighter (Control) Operator.

Pension

• Cornwall Council Local Government Pension scheme based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions.

Firefighter (Control) Schedule

Role Type

Permanent

Internal or External

External

Advert Live Date

12th May 2026

Advert Closes

7th June 2026

Shortlisting Date/s (Stage 1)

8th June 2026

Skills Test Date/s (Stage 2)

Week commencing 15th June 2026

Interview Date (Stage 3)

Week commencing 22nd June 2026

Outcome shared with Candidates

29th June 2026

Commencement in Role

To be confirmed

Candidate Feedback sessions

July 2026

Please contact Adam Oliver via email adam.oliver@fire.cornwall.gov.uk or Helen Knight helen.knight@fire.cornwall.gov.uk if you would like to visit Fire Control to meet the team or have any specific questions about the process and the role.

The full role profile is attachedhere

Please find the application form here

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability.

Please inform the hiring manager and People Team of any reasonable adjustments you require to support you with this process. This must be done at least two days prior to the interview date.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service Vision and Values

This recruitment process aims to support the Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service objective to ensure we have the right people with the right skills, behaviours and values are in the right roles at the right time.

Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service is committed to the ethical principles laid out in the Core Code of Ethics:

Putting our communities first – we put the interest of the public, the community and service users first.

Integrity – we act with integrity, including being open, honest and consistent in everything we do.

Dignity and respect – making decisions objectively based on evidence, without discrimination or bias.

Leadership – we are all positive role models, always demonstrating flexibility and resilient leadership. We are all accountable for everything we do and challenge all behaviour that falls short of the highest standards.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) – We continually recognise and promote the value of EDI both within the FRSs and the wider communities in which we serve. We stand against all forms of discrimination, create equal opportunities, promote equality, foster good relations, and celebrate difference.

As a service of Cornwall Council, we are committed to the vision of “Working Together to make Cornwall safer”. We uphold and align to align to the Council Vision and Values.

For more information please visit: Our Vision and Values - Cornwall Council.

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council

We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options

Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.

Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.