Candidates who accept the offer of on-call development firefighter, and have passed pre-employment checks, will be invited to an on-call development firefighter induction weekend Spring 2027.
The induction course will include:
Our service and priorities
Core Code of Ethics
Payroll, training records and resources
Working for Cornwall Council
Health and safety
Safeguarding
Heat and humidity awareness
Water awareness
Mental health and wellbeing
Vehicle manoeuvring
Manual handling
External engagement, including social media
The Fire Fighters Charity and the union
Uniform and PPE issue
Personal and breathing apparatus facemask fitting
Following the induction weekend, candidates will go to their stations for a minimum of eight weeks where they will undertake a number of practical modules and are provided with a station mentor to support their training. They will also attend two training evenings with their trainee cohort at a central location.
Approve to ride
Trainee firefighters are required to complete a two-week ‘approved to ride’ (ATR) course before being promoted from trainee to development firefighter and allowed to join their crews in responding to incidents.
The ATR is split into two weeks. Week one focuses on pumps, ladders, fireground commands and road traffic collisions (RTC) training:
Hose running, knot tying and hauling equipment aloft
Pumping from pressure-fed supplies and open water
Working at height
Week two focuses primarily on breathing apparatus (BA):
The BA set and how it functions.
Servicing, testing and wearing a BA set, including its ancillary equipment.
Searching in smoke and darkness.
Fire science.
Branch techniques.
Casualty search and rescue in a live fire environment.
On successful completion of the ATR, the development firefighters will follow a three-year training programme. They will also learn the following areas:
Safety at height and confined spaces (SHACS)
Water rescue
Hazardous materials
Advanced ladders
Throughout their development, they will undertake annual reviews and additional courses that will support them to becoming a fully qualified on-call freighter.
If you have questions about our on-call induction process, please contact us peopleteam@fire.cornwall.gov.uk.