- Careers
- Apprentice Firefighter
- Recruitment process
The application process is designed to give everyone an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to be a firefighter, irrespective of their professional or personal background.
The heightened emphasis placed on fire safety and prevention in recent years has not only reduced fires within our communities, but has also dramatically changed the role of the modern day firefighter. Anyone who wants to make a difference within their communities and to change and save lives should come and talk to us or contact us via the website.
It is also important that, as a modern, forward thinking organisation, we reflect the diverse communities we serve. Members of under-represented communities are encouraged to apply, especially women, people of all ethnic groups and LGBT+ communities. Vacancies are open to everyone, regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (must be 18 at the start of the training course) or disability. No advantage will be given to any particular group of people during the application process, however, in order to properly serve Cheshire’s communities, it is important that we are as diverse as our community.
Monday 1 June
Applications open
Submit your application before midday on Monday 15 June.
Thursday 18 June
Online assessments
Complete tests by midday on Thursday 2 July
w/c Monday 20 July and w/c Monday 27 July
Practical assessment
Taking place at HQ in Winsford
w/c Monday 17 August
Interview
Interviews will be carried out the week commencing 17 August
September 2026 - October 2026
Pre-employment checks
You will undergo a medical assessment and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (criminal records) check
Course will start in January 2027
Prior to completing your registration and any online tests please read the following guidance for candidates:
In the first stage of the process you will need to register your details and answer a number of eligibility questions on our online application system. You will be able to see on screen straight away whether you have passed or failed this stage. Sometimes your application might be referred to our recruitment team to who may need more information from you to assess whether you are eligible.
Once the initial registration period has closed, and if you meet the basic eligibility criteria, you will be invited to complete the next stage of your online application. This consists of four online assessments which you will receive access to in one email:
Firstly, an online questionnaire called the Assessment for Firefighter. The Assessment for Firefighter is a behavioural and values assessment developed specifically for use by the Fire Service to measure the personality traits closely aligned with operational firefighter performance. It measures a person's personal preferences and values which have been identified as predicting real-world firefighter performance and engagement. This assessment is not timed.
Assessment for Firefighter - Briefing Guides (opens in new window)
Following this you will need to complete three timed ability tests:
Numerical Reasoning measures your ability understand, interpret and evaluate numerical information. You will be presented with graphs, charts and numerical information and will then be required to make calculations based on this information.
Verbal Reasoning measures your ability to understand and interpret written information. You will be presented with passages of text and will be required to answer a series of questions to demonstrate your ability to interpret and analyse verbal information.
Mechanical Reasoning contains questions based on situations and scenarios that are relevant to the Fire and Rescue Service. Each question requires a candidate to interpret and analyse a practical or mechanical scenario that is presented in an image. To correctly work out the answer, candidates will need to apply cognitive reasoning to a practical situation.
You can practice these ability tests by use the link below:
Practice ability tests (opens in new window)
FRS Ability Tests - Briefing Guide (opens in new window)
You will receive one email from the Test Partnership system - no-reply@testpartnership.com inviting you to complete the online assessment. It will contain instructions and a link to access an online assessment, the Assessment for Firefighter. This email will also invite you to complete the three Fire Assessment Ability Tests which are; Verbal, Numerical and Mechanical Reasoning.
The email will give a support email address should you have any technical difficulties in accessing the assessment or test systems. Do not use this for any general enquiries regarding the recruitment process as they will not be answered. For this please contact Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service directly.
You will be asked to create a password for the Firefighter Assessment and FRS Ability Tests when you access their links. Please record them in case you need to re-access them for any reason.
The deadline for completing the assessment and tests is shown in your invite email. If you do not complete the assessments before this time, you will not be progressed further in the recruitment process and your application will be closed.
We strongly advise that you complete each stage as soon as possible and do not leave it until the actual deadline. No extensions to any of the deadlines will be given.
Once this stage is closed we will then review the scores and will notify successful applicants with details of the next stage.
This email will come from recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk
If you pass all three ability tests you will be invited by email to attend practical assessment which will take place at our Headquarters at Sadler Road, Winsford. This will be a morning or afternoon session and you should allow approximately 2.5 hours for the assessment.
If you are successful at the practical assessment, you will be invited to attend an interview.
We will be running online Q&A sessions for successful applicants about what to expect at interview.
If you are among the successful candidates at interview stage, you will undergo a medical assessment and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (criminal records) check prior to commencing your training. We will also need to receive two satisfactory references, and proof of your identity and right to work in the UK.
If you receive a final offer of employment, you will the start your initial 16-week training course as an Apprentice Firefighter. You will undertake a Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship, which typically takes up to 18 months in total to complete. The first 16 weeks of this journey are based at our state of the art training centre in Winsford before you are posted to a station within Cheshire.
All the online stages should be completed by yourself alone and unassisted on a computer, smartphone, laptop or tablet. You should ensure that you have a stable internet connection when accessing and completing all the online stages. Checks may be undertaken at a later stage in the selection process to verify that you have completed these tests without assistance.
The online assessments are managed by an external provider. If you experience any IT issues during any stage of the online process, please contact the support team using the email address provided in the instructions.
Support is available Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 18:00. Emails sent outside these hours will be responded to by midday on the next working day. Please note that support is only available via the email provided and they will not accept phone queries. The Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service Recruitment Team does not have access to the assessment system, so all IT-related queries must be directed to the support email.
As we receive hundreds of applications, we will not be able to provide you with individual feedback on your results. Due to the high volume of applicants we will only be able to invite the top-ranking applicants through to the next stage of the process. Invitation to the practical session will be via email from Recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk so please ensure you add this to your safe contacts and check in your junk mail.
Should you require any information during the online sifting process described above, you should refer to this guide as it will have all the information you need.
We would like take this opportunity to thank you for applying to Cheshire Fire and Rescue and we wish you every success in your application journey.
Firefighting can be seen as a stereotypically male profession. However, we now employ more female firefighters than ever before, as well as people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). The diversity of our workforce is one of things that makes Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service so special. We want to represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve, so that we can better understand the risks they face and the service they require from us.
No one is given any unfair advantage during the recruitment process, and we assess everyone on merit and their ability to do their job. However, if you feel you genuinely need an adjustment to the recruitment process then please email recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk for advice.
We can offer a buddy, who is an existing member of staff, to anyone who feels they may need extra support or guidance during the process. If you wish to access a buddy please contact recruitment@cheshirefire.gov.uk telling us why you would benefit from this support so we can ensure you are allocated a buddy that will be best be able to support you.
Last updated: Tuesday, 31 March 2026