Medical Assessment
You will be required to attend an appointment at our Occupational Health Unit for a medical and fitness assessment. The medical will include:
- Height
- Weight
- Blood pressure
- Blood Glucose Test (finger prick or by urine sample)
- Eye test – near and distance vision (with and without spectacles if worn)
- Hearing test (audiometry)
Additionally, you will be asked questions about your general health and any disabilities/medical needs you may have (a medical questionnaire will need to be completed prior to your attendance). An Occupational Health Technician will conduct the necessary tests. This will be followed up (not necessarily straight away but on the same day) with an appointment with the Occupational Health Physician who will review the test results, undertake any further testing (if required), and provide a medical decision on your fitness for operational duties. Please note prior to this decision (and largely dependent on your test results and clinical information you have disclosed) the physician may require your consent to liaise with any specialists or treating teams you have/or had. Alternatively, you may be referred back to your GP for further tests to be conducted on the NHS. In such cases a decision regarding your fitness will remain pending until the Occupational Health Physician has all the information needed to enable them to make a clinical informed decision.
We receive many enquiries from applicants during recruitment regarding current and/or past medical issues. Unfortunately, we cannot give definitive guidance regarding individual issues as all clinical matters require consultation with the Occupational Health Physician and GP’s/treating teams for them to decide whether an applicant is suitable to carry out the role of an Emergency Call Handler (Firefighter Control). All cases will be considered on an individual basis.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act, we do not divulge any medical information to anyone outside of occupational health without your written consent.
Eyesight standards
During the pre-employment medical you will be asked to carry out an eye test with the Snellen Chart, and a colour vision assessment using the Ishihara test.
Hearing standards
Applicants for Firefighter (Control) who meet the H2 standard should be considered fit for role. Applicants who score lower than H2 may be required to undertake additional functional testing before a decision on fitness can be determined.
Drug Testing
All roles within Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service require a negative drug test as part of the pre-employment checks. Further information will be provided if your application is successful.
Right to work
In order to comply with the law under Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, we will need proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. This evidence can be in the form of a Passport or Birth Certificate along with your National Insurance Card or your most recent P45 or P60. For further information please refer to www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work.
Employment History & References
All applicants will be required to provide a minimum of the last three years of their employment, education and training history and will be asked to explain any gaps in employment of more than three months. Applicants will be required to provide a copy of their HMRC Employment History document (https://www.gov.uk/get-proof-employment-history) or annual tax returns / self-assessment documentation if you have been self-employed within the last 3 years. At least one reference will be requested for candidates who are successful in the recruitment process and will be taken up before any formal offer of appointment can be confirmed. Your reference must be from your current or most recent employer (or teacher). We may request additional references depending on your employment history. You may not use relatives or friends as referees. We will also request additional references if you have previously worked at another Fire and Rescue Service.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Standard checks
The Services approach to the recruitment of ex-offenders is set out in our Policy Statement. We will undertake a minimum of a Standard DBS Checks on new and existing staff who are moving role. The level of check undertaken will be determined by the role you will be doing. For further information please refer to this page.
Failure to declare a conviction or caution may disqualify you from appointment or result in summary dismissal if the discrepancy comes to light and will be taken into consideration on our positive disclosure risk assessment process.
Please note we are unable to accept applications from anyone with unspent conditional cautions or convictions. You will not be considered for a role within Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service until the rehabilitation period has passed and the conviction(s)/caution(s) become spent.
Non-Police Personnel Vetting
All Firefighters (Control) are required to obtain Non-Police Personnel Vetting (NPPV2) clearance.