The salary for a firefighter varies depending on the stage of the career. A newly appointed firefighter starts as a Trainee and moves to the Development stage after the initial training course has been completed.

The time it will take for an employee to demonstrate competence will depend on the specific requirements of employees, accessibility to assessment and the opportunities available.

The basis of the approach is to tailor development to meet individual and organisational needs, so the progress of each individual must be considered in the context of these variables. It can, however, be reasonably expected that the majority of firefighters on any duty system should demonstrate competence within 3 years from entry to the Service.

Salaries are set by the National Joint Council (NJC) and as at 1st July 2008 were as follows:

Trainee £20,896
Development £21,766
Competent £27,851

At Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service all employees have access to:

• Gym facilities
• The Occupational Health Unit
• Pro active health advice
• A Welfare Officer who is exclusive to DFRS
• Access to various organisations and support networks

We have a Learning and Development team based across three sites. Our Headquarters site houses the Training Centre, administration, lecture facilities and residential accommodation.

The Kingsway site is the location for the operational training facilities. This includes breathing apparatus training, road traffic collision and first responder training.

The Alfreton site is the location for the driving school unit and is also used for training purposes.

We have a PDR policy (performance and development review) so all staff have an annual meeting with their line manager to discuss their development needs. Learning and development can be in the form of lectures, courses, on-line materials, seminars, on the job training, and is open to all staff.

There are many employees in both operational and support roles that have been promoted whilst at DFRS. There is a very clear career development path for operational roles and there are a number of opportunities available for all staff which includes temporary promotion and secondments.

30 days annual leave and all statutory bank holidays

All operational employees are eligible to join the Firefighters Pension Scheme which is managed by Derbyshire County Council.

The family friendly policies available to all staff includes:

• Annualised hours - rather than hours being contracted per week, they are contracted for the whole of the year on a permanent basis. There is no such thing as a "working day", "working week" or "normal shift"; rather the employee can more closely match their working patterns with any fluctuating workloads or personal commitments.

• Term-time working contracts - these offer obvious benefits to staff who have child-care commitments as it allows employees to care for their children during school holidays, whilst working during term-term.

• Job share - job sharing is an arrangement where two people share the duties and responsibilities of one full-time post. The salary and conditions of service of the post are shared between the job sharers in proportion to the hours they work. Each job sharer has a common job description and person specification but has an individual contract of employment.

• Compressed hours - working to a compressed hours arrangement simply means that although the employee continues to work the full-time hours standard to his / her staff group, they are worked over less days per week

• Approved leave - it is appreciated that those with care or family commitments can sometimes need time off which may arise with little warning or opportunity to plan. As part of the Authority's aim to support its workforce in managing the work-life balance, a raft of approved-leave facilities has been introduced to offer specific support in times of urgent need.

• Career breaks - this offers staff the opportunity to take a planned period of unpaid time off work to concentrate on alternative personal priorities

Save money while you work!

If you are a working parent, childcare vouchers are a flexible, simple and cost effective way to help towards your childcare costs on a monthly basis.

Childcare vouchers can be used to pay for the care of children up to the age of 15 (until 1st September following their 15th birthday) or the age of 16 if they are disabled (until 1st September following their 16th birthday).

The vouchers are exempt from tax and National Insurance for up to £55 per week which can lead to a saving of up to £962 per year or up to £1,195 per year if you are a higher rate tax payer.

Out of 250,000 charities in the United Kingdom, the Firefighter's Charity is listed in the top 100 offering a number of professional services including:

• Therapy
• Recuperation
• Child & family focused therapy
• Sheltered housing
• Retirement homes
• Financial support including debt counseling.

The services are available to all employees and their close family. Following five years service within Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service all individuals will have a lifetime access to the services of the charity.

The charity operates 3 centres set in idyllic locations around the country, namely Devon, Sussex and Cumbria. These can also be rented by employees for a relaxing break at any time of the year. The charity offers valuable support for all employees of Fire & Rescue Services.

The Fire & Rescue Service offers discounted products and services from a wide range of national companies.

Examples of this include: money off holidays, car rental, theme parks & national attractions, home insurance, computer equipment, and much much more.

The aim of the association is to encourage all forms of indoor and outdoor sports throughout the Service. Activities include competitions and championships both within the Service and against other organisations. This is open to all staff.

We recognise the following trade unions:

• UNISON - for support staff
• Fire Brigades Union
• Retained Firefighters Union

The Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and the unions work in partnership to support life long learning. We also have access to library resources based at the Fire Service College.

In 1993, the Networking Women in the Fire Service (NWFS) was established as a self-help group for women in the Fire and Rescue Service. Over the past 13 years, NWFS has sought to influence the equality agenda, engaging with the major players in order to have the voice of all women in the Fire and Rescue Service heard.

NWFS is an independent voluntary group of people who aim to contribute to making the Fire and Rescue Service a place where women and men can work together harmoniously and professionally.