Recruitment Update for the Fire Services in Australia and New Zealand This Q1 2021
Hello everyone!
I made a roundup video for all fire services in Australia a few weeks back and would like to share it with all of you. It’s a summary of what has happened in the last quarter and what to expect in the months to come in fire service recruitment.
Hey guys!
It’s Brent C here with a firefighter recruitment update for Australia.
So, it’s already the end of March and it’s unbelievable how time flies in the recruitment space.
I want to give you an update about what’s happening with the fire services across Australia & New Zealand as far as firefighter recruitment goes.
Okay, first cab off the rank is ACT Fire & rescue. Got some good news here! ACT Fire & rescue are confirmed for a July 2021 recruitment.
There is going to be an information session on the 31st of March so be sure to register to that if you haven’t already and remember to take down notes. [This has been updated on the ACTFR Facebook Page and is now scheduled on the 21st of April.]
ACT Fire & rescue also have Come and Try days for their Physical Aptitude Test on 6 April and this is a golden opportunity that you should take part in. There’s no better way to learn and improve your techniques than seeing and practicing them firsthand and exposing yourself to the environment even if you think you have this part of the process covered.
The Process for ACT remains the same starting with online application followed by the aptitude exam, BEEP test, Physical Aptitude Test, supervised test, final interview, reference checks and then finally, the job offer. ACT previously used ACER as their testing provider. There are rumors however that they’ll make the switch so we have to be ready for that too.
ARFF is still on hiatus with the pandemic. However, A number of Air Services operational employees have been moved to stations all over Australia for lateral transfer which means there is demand building. For now, those of you looking to apply to as an aviation rescue firefighter this is a good opportunity to consolidate your preparation and ensure your keeping your recruitment skills up to date so when they open up your ready to roll.
For ARFF, job positions are advertised nationally and on their website. Interested applicants need only submit an online application form and qualify with the minimum requirements to start the recruitment process. Those who make the cut are then invited to Cognitive and Psychometric Assessments. In their 2020 intake, the provider was SHL. The Physical Assessment shortly follows thereafter. The next stage is the assessment center. It is consist of: behavior panel interview, teamwork exercise and literacy testing. If you are successful in reaching this stage of the process, you will be contacted prior to reference checks being conducted. Offer employment follows shortly and then the security and medical checks, finally, before the recruit course.
As for DFES Western Australia, they are currently ongoing with the recruitment process. There are some applicants in the speed interviews stage around this time. They have paused rolling recruitment after their January 2021 intake. However, they are rumored to resume on December of this year. So be ready for that.
The test provider for DFES is Cognify. Take this opportunity of a brief break in recruitment to prepare for the next one especially if you need to work on your test-taking techniques and exposure to Cognify if you haven’t seen it before or did not do well previously. I’ll include a link below to A Breakdown of Cognify and a Cognify practice test. You can send me a PM or an email if you want to learn more about this.
Next, Fire and Rescue NSW.
Fire and rescue NSW have recently updated their website stating July 2022 as their next recruitment intake.
This may come as a blow if you have been excited for the next NSW firefighter recruitment.
It will be helpful if you can see it as an opportunity to really work on your skills as Fire and Rescue NSW is still short of approximately 700 operational positions according to our sources.
Currently, like many public sector organizations, they are on severe backlogs from their previous recruitment and setting the date to next year gives them more flexibility to handle the situation.
If I was looking to get a job with NSW, I would make sure I was as ready as I could be at any point as recruitment dates often change as history has shown.
As you know, the effects of the pandemic has made the fire services evolve and cope in many ways so I won’t be surprised if they decide to change this date again to something sooner once they get a handle on the backlogs. Competition for FRNSW is fiercer than ever so I encourage you stay alert and keep sharp with your preparations.
NSW is set to continue with the use of Revelian, Emotify and the work safety and work reliability tests as its main testing mechanisms. We will be keeping a close eye on this for any updates and changes.
OK now Victoria……..Fire Rescue Victoria will remain on schedule with their mid-2021 recruitment. Be flexible in your travel schedule and consider boarder restrictions when doing your application. The testing provider is still Pearson VUE. For those who were made to retake the exam, they had to do it on site so it might be worth considering travel preparations in case this practice continues in the future. FRV has also become more competitive in recent times so make sure you’re up to speed with FRV’s testing.
Northern Territory Fire & Rescue were rumored to start this quarter but nothing has been heard from them in regards to firefighter recruitment and their website remains unchanged.
We will continue to keep our ears and eyes out and will provide you with updates as they come in relation to Northern Territory.
Northern Territory test provider was SafeSelect and it looks like it’s going to stay that way this year as well. The process for NTFRS remains as straightforward as it was as well. It starts with online application followed by the written and psych assessments, the PAT, Interview, Reference Checks, Medical and finally, the job offer.
QFES’ latest firefighter recruitment is ongoing at the moment. We will let you know when their next recruitment is due to kick off in the coming months as we always do.
I’m keeping a close eye on this year’s recruitment to see if I can spot any changes in the process.
For now, QFES is using Pearson VUE as their testing provider. They started with the online applications in January followed by the BEEP test with an average requirement of 9.6. After that was the Cognitive exam which is still ongoing until end of this month and then followed by the OFAT.
After the OFAT is the State Panel Interviews and the Psychological Assessments. Some of you may not know but QFES is one of the most rigid fire service when it comes to determining characteristic trademarks of potential candidates and suitability to work with existing firefighting teams. So if you need help in preparing for these stages, do not hesitate to reach out to Fire Recruitment Australia.
Okay, now let’s talk about Tasmania Fire Service or TFS. They were rumored to open this March but so far, there has been no update on their website. However, sources say that they are currently hiring people to assist with recruitment so it won’t be too long until we hear some updates.
TFS is unique because it starts off recruitment with an essay type of application and these must be submitted together with other requirements. Everyone determined to have satisfied the minimum requirements will then move forward to have their shuttle run or beep test followed by Cognitive Ability and Psych Assessment. TFS used Cognify as their aptitude testing provider in the last intake. This will most likely stay. As for the Psych exams, they used SafeSelect. On that note, I am happy to inform you that we have an added module inside of our Personality course that covers and breaks down SafeSelect question types for TFS specifically.
Last but not the least, we have FENZ or Fire and Emergency New Zealand. The intake for the 2021 course will start on 1 June at 10 AM and will close on the 30 June at 5 PM NZ time. Be sure to attend their come and try days. Although it is not mandatory, it is a golden opportunity for you to be able to try out some activities utilized in the recruitment as well as ask important questions.
FENZ’s testing provider seems to be SHL.
Remember, those that are the most prepared are the ones that get the jobs.
If you have any question let me know in the comments below.
If you’re extremely serious about giving yourself the best chance of getting a spot on the next recruitment I’ve included a link to our calendar below. Click that and book in for a chat about how I can help you get the edge.
That wraps up the firefighter recruitment update for Australia and New Zealand for the first quarter of 2021
Thanks for tuning in.
I’m Brent, this is fire recruitment Australia dot com.
Look forward to speaking with you soon, take care.
SAMFS is rumored to recruit just around mid-2021. They are still most likely going to continue using Cognify. Those who are getting ready to apply must make sure to have the minimum requirements fulfilled in the pre-application stage to avoid any hassle when actual intake happens. Those who submit an application would also be paying a corresponding application fee. Those who make it past the application stage would then be scheduled to take the Cognitive Ability Assessment, and Personality Profiling and Behavioural Assessment. These are then followed by the first part of PAT, Panel Interview, and then PAT part 2, Pre-employment checks and job offer.
Hope you found this video helpful. I’ll be coming around with another set of updates in the next quarter. To those of you who are just looking to get started in your firefighting journey, there’s no better time than now to start your preparations. Chat with us to get some insights on how to get started.
Cheers,
Brent
P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways we can help you Get The Edge over the competition
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