Recruitment to above generally takes place on a needs basis and is generally at Retained Firefighter level. Competitions are undertaken to create a panel of suitable candidates, and if a vacancy becomes available during the lifetime of the panel (initially 12 months), the next available candidate from the panel can be processed to fill this vacancy.
Requirements of Post
A person interested in such a post should be in a position to operate in a roster that guarantees their availability when on call and they should live and work within a 5 minute response time of the Fire Station.
To join the Louth Fire Service as a Retained Firefighter, applicants must be aged 18 years and over, meet the required health and physical fitness standards, have a good standard of vision and colour perception and preferably have a category B, full, clean driving license.
Recruitment Process
- Advertisement in local papers and www.louthcoco.ie/vacancies
- Completion of Application Form
- Garda Vetting
- Simple literacy, numeracy and comprehension test
- Ladders Test- supervised harnessed test on a 13.5m ladder
- Claustrophobia Test- supervised 20 metre test in claustrophobia tunnel
- Leg/Back Pull Strength Test – 117 kg or above
- Grip Test – 35 kg with dominant hand and 33kg with subordinate hand
- Interview- again to assess their suitability
- Full Occupational Health Scheme Medical – Medical Standards for Recruitment to the Fire Service
If successful, completion of three-week recruit’s course, a two-week Breathing Apparatus Wearers Course and Compartment Fire Behaviour Course are both completed as soon as possible after commencement of employment.
Other specialised courses are completed during employment, e.g. Road Traffic Accident and Pump Operators and there are also refresher courses. Ongoing specialised training and re-certification throughout your employment
There is ongoing fitness testing and medicals during fire service employment - Medical Standards for Retained Firefighters
Rate of Pay for Retained Firefighters:
| Annual Retainer | 0-2 years service: €8,033 per annum | |
| | 3-5 years service: €8,927 per annum | |
| | 5-10 years service: €10,010 per annum | |
| | 10+ years service: €11,001 per annum | |
| Part-Time Fire Services Personnel – Hourly Rate of Attendance | Drill | FIRE |
| Day | Night/Weekend |
| 1st Hour | Subsequent Hrs | 1st Hour | Subsequent Hrs |
| Rate per hour | €21.19 | €42.38 | €21.19 | €84.76 | €42.38 |
Medical Standards for Recruitment to the Fire Service
Medical Standards for Retained Firefighters
Photos from our recent Open Night:
