Salary £40 to 45,000 and benefits TBC

An introduction from Guilli Castle, Head of Individual Giving and Supporter Care, Firefighters Charity

“This is such an exciting opportunity. I have been involved in the face to face market for many years and it is not often a great opportunity like this comes up. We have all seen how well the RNLI’s face to face programme is developing and Firefighters has ambitions to do just the same. Everybody has some sort of connection to Firefighters, either as someone who has had to use their services or as someone who sees their work in the local community. This is an opportunity to reach out to Firefighters just joining up, retiring, their families and the wider public. It is a no brainer that the right person can not only make this succeed, but have a lot of fun and a huge amount of input along the way.” Rory White, Director of Longhouse HQ

Interview with Andy Russell - One of the frontline fundraisers and an ex-fireman (pictured on a recent fundraising climb with red hat)

From Firefighter to Fundraiser

Andrew Russell knows the fire service inside out. He joined in 1983 at just 20 years old and spent 30 years on the frontline in London, working across stations including Stanmore, Harrow and Wembley, before finishing in a command and control role covering much of the city.

Like most firefighters, his career wasn’t constant action. There were moments of intensity, but also plenty of training, preparation and fire safety work. As Andrew puts it, it’s not all “racing around in full gear”, a big part of the job is about prevention and education.

After retiring in 2013, Andrew tried a few different roles but didn’t quite find the right fit. Then he spotted a role with the Firefighters Charity on Facebook, and six years later, he’s still there.

What does the role involve?

Andrew is now an Engagement Officer, which basically means he spends his time connecting with firefighters at key points in their careers, right at the start, and at the point they retire.

His main focus is encouraging people to support the charity through regular giving, helping to make sure it can continue supporting firefighters and their families. He works with new recruits during training, speaks to retiring firefighters about continuing their support, covers the whole of the UK as part of a team of three, and delivers sessions both in person and online.

Training courses can be anything from 2 weeks for on-call firefighters to 14 weeks for full-time recruits, and Andrew drops in during that time to talk about the charity and what it offers. When it comes to giving, the ask is simple, typically just over £1 per month, taken directly from salary.

And it works

Because of the strong connection firefighters have with the charity, the results speak for themselves. Around 73% of new recruits sign up, and 98% of people who use the charity rate it positively. Andrew says most people already understand the value, either they’ve used the charity themselves or they know someone who has.

What does the charity actually do?

The Firefighters Charity supports people across three main areas, physical health, including rehab and physiotherapy, mental health, including counselling and emotional support, and social wellbeing, including financial help and wider life support.

The range of support is huge, and as Andrew says, you could list dozens of services and still not cover everything they do.

Why Andrew enjoys it

For Andrew, one of the best parts of the job is staying connected to the fire service community. There’s a real family feel, and as he puts it, “you’re still part of it.”

He also gets to hear first-hand stories from firefighters who’ve been supported by the charity, something that never really gets old and keeps the work meaningful.

Why it’s a great role

If you’re thinking about working for the Firefighters Charity, Andrew’s advice is simple, it’s a great place to be. You get a real sense of purpose, you’re helping people directly, and you’re part of something that genuinely makes a difference.

No two days are quite the same, one day you might be in a training centre, the next you’re speaking to a group online, hearing stories that remind you exactly why the work matters.