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Gatwick Careers

Airport Fire & Rescue Service

The provision of rescuse & firefighting services (RFFS)

PREVENT - RESPOND - PROTECT

Gatwick Airport is currently looking to create a pool of qualified candidates for the role of Airport Firefighter to join the Rescue and Firefighting Services (RFFS) Team when positions become available.

You do not need previous experience in the Fire Service to join the team whose principal objective is “to save life”.

Introduction from Simon Petts Chief Fire Officer (CFO)

Gatwick Airport’s Fire Service Team is led by Chief Fire Officer, Simon Petts.

Simon began his fire service career with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy in 1985. He spent nine years in the service covering risks ranging from the flight deck of HMS Illustrious to most of the Navy’s air stations and even six months covering Faslane Nuclear Submarine base in Scotland.

Leaving the Navy in 1994, Simon then joined Gatwick Airports Fire Service. Once there he passed through the ranks to become the current Chief Fire Officer in 2017. Along with being the Chairperson for AFOA, he is an active member of the AOA RFFS Working Group, the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Transportation Special Interest Group as well as heading up Gatwick Airports Resilience Planning Group.

Foreword from Simon Petts.

Welcome to the firefighter recruitment campaign 2023.

“Firstly; I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to find out more about London Gatwick Airport, & it’s Rescue & Fire-Fighting Service. A service we are extremely proud of.

Our Rescue & Fire-Fighting Service provides 24/7 365 emergency response cover to the UK’s second busiest airport, & one of the world’s busiest single runway operations. In 2019 our airport looked after 47million passengers. To support an operation as dynamic & complexed as London Gatwick our Rescue & Fire-Fighting Service must be equally as capable. We are a forward thinking, progressive and dynamic Airport Rescue & Fire-Fighting Service, we need the right people, with the right skills, at the right time to ensure we can respond efficiently and effectively to all types of incidents and emergencies, Embarking on a career in our Rescue & Fire-Fighting Service may be one of the most challenging professional things you undertake. It is not easy and requires not only a good standard of physical fitness, but also an enquiring mind, the ability to learn and adapt at pace, and the personal skills to work as part of a team in complexed and often rapidly evolving situations. If successful, you will join a high performing team and undertake a role that is second to none in terms of personal rewards.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you well on your next steps and I look forward to possibly meeting you in the future.

Good luck!

Gatwick Airport Fire & Rescue Service

More than just Fires…

Incident Command

The Airport Fire and Rescue Service maintain operational readiness 24/7 to respond to aircraft emergencies, in line with our regulatory requirements. The structure of each of the 4 watches supports effective Command and Control of these incidents, supported by close liaison with Local Authority Emergency Services.

Aviation Response

Aircraft related incidents can present responders with unique challenges, and our Firefighters require specific training to maintain operational compliance. We achieve this thanks to our in-house Maintenance of Competence training program which sees our teams undergo regular training and assessment to enable our crews to operate safely and effectively.

Domestic Response

Along with the Airfield response, our airport firefighters also provide a Domestic Response. This covers a range of incidents, which include Automatic Fire Alarms (AFA’s), Railway incidents, Road Traffic Collisions and Special Service Calls involving hazardous substances that occur in or around the airport’s boundary. The team at the heart of managing the design process, with a culture of creativity and ensuring that designs meet project requirements, maintain high quality engineering outputs, achieving value for money whilst delivering on our sustainability goals.

Medical Response

Fire Crews are trained as Immediate Emergency Care (IEC) Advanced Practitioners, the most advanced, up to date, evidence-based trauma course currently available in the UK for non-health care professionals. There is not only a legal and moral duty for the AFS to provide first aid and emergency medical assistance, these provisions and arrangements are required as part of our CAA Aerodrome Licence.

Fire and Rescue

All Firefighters at Gatwick complete a residential course upon joining. This accredited course gives them the foundation for their career. Following this, Gatwick run an in-house Maintenance of Competence programme. We have Trainers, Assessors and Quality Assurers amongst the team. All staff will be regularly assessed, and the training and development team will manage the audit the process.

Winter Resiliance

There is a regulatory requirement for the Airport to have an Adverse weather plan, the Airport Fire and Rescue Service support this Winter response plan by maintaining competence to drive and deploy the fleet of Øveraasen snow ploughs. Under the guidance of the Airside Operations Manager, working as part of a wider team to keep the Runway and taxiways open.

Flood Response

Trained to DEFRA level 1 Water Awareness & Rescue – the Airport Fire and Rescue Service are not only available to respond to rescues from water, but also support the Airports Adverse Weather Plan by responding to incidents involving flooding. On hand to help protect the critical infrastructure across the airfield.