Job Requirements

Availability

MFS Retained Firefighters respond to emergencies at all hours of the day and night. Some MFS fire stations will respond to several emergency calls each week, while others may only respond to incidents a few times each month.

There is a minimum attendance requirement at firefighting trainings. Regular training is required to ensure your acquired skills are maintained.

Regional Firefighters are required to attend a minimum number of incidents per month to help equally distribute the workload.

Proximity

To be a Retained Firefighter you must be able to respond to an incident, and attend the station within 16 minutes of being paged.

If you have concerns or questions about this, it’s best to discuss it with your with regional fire station.

Age and licences

When applying to become a Retained Firefighter you must be 18 years of age and hold, at minimum, a p2 (provisional) C Class (car) driver’s license.

An MR (Medium Rigid), or HR (Heavy Rigid) driver's licence will be required, at your own expense, within 12 months of being offered employment.

For further information regarding licence classes and minimum requirements please visit www.sa.gov.au.

First aid certificates

As a Retained Firefighter you will need, at your own expense, to obtain Provide First Aid and Advanced Resuscitation and Oxygen Therapy within six (6) months of the probationary period.

Fitness and health

Firefighting can involve physically challenging activities, so a certain level of fitness is required.

As part of the mandatory testing, applicants will need to complete a Physical Aptitude Test (PAT), which consists of a range of simulated on-the-job tasks.

Applicants will also need a thorough medical examination, which is based upon the medical standards of health and fitness considered essential to a Retained Firefighter with the MFS. It’s important that you declare any medical conditions you may have so that the MFS can provide you with appropriate support and advice.