Colour Blindness in the Fire Service

So I graduated a couple of years ago and currently work as a graduate engineer, but I’ve been thinking for a while now about applying for the fire service.

I should pass all the other entry requirements (fit, strong etc), the only issue is I’m colourblind (quite substantially, apparently). I’ve looked around and it seems there can be quite a big difference between each fire service’s requirements for colour vision, and some require specialist testing etc for applicants with colour blindness.

I’ve spotted a few firefighters on here, so would be interested to see what the general opinion is within the fire service about colour blindness. Is it really is an issue on the job? Does anyone have experience of applying with colour blindness?

Cheers!

I imagine the test is “What colour’s a fire engine?”

Could you identify the red cable from the black on a car battery?

Could you find your way round a colour coded alarm panel?

V Slight colour blindness here which only showed up on optician eye test I had done prior to applying to make sure there were no issues regarding any aspect of my sight.

It wasn’t an issue on my initial medical or in any medical since.

In the current climate, I’d have thought the hardest part was finding a brigade that’s actually recruiting. Good luck.

I imagine the test is “What colour’s a fire engine?”

It’s a trap!

I wouldn’t bother even trying, service is going to the dogs thanks to camamoron and his mates.

That’s if you can find a service that’s recruiting as were all being financially smashed and have had 5000 frontline cut in this governments reign.

Oh and more cuts coming.

Fantastic job being decimated by politicians and morons.

In the 14 years I’ve served I’ve seen such massive changes that I just can’t see where these ‘savings’ are going to come from.

I thought you couldn’t join if colour blind tbh

As said above hardly anyone. If anyone at all is recruiting. We have a recruitment ban on til 2021 minimum

Also i wouldn’t bother joining its crap. Used to be decent but i hate work now my station all pretty much say the same. All wanting out

Pension had me tied in but as of april thats ruined too so im no longer tied down. So im currently looking for other work. Missed out on a right job due to my interview technique. Told to reapply after practicing a certain style of interview. Gutted 🙁

In total agreement with everything Lummox says above. ^^^^^. However, if you are interested, I had to pass an eye test which included picking out numbers out of a dotted picture. The dotted colours of the number were obviously a different colour than that of the background dots. This was 13 years ago though and may change from brigade to brigade.

Recruitment freeze until 2021?! Jeez that’s tough. What service are you with, out of interest?

If I did apply, it would be with the scottish service, who I think did a recruitment drive last year. Just trying to get my head round whether I would want to apply/had a chance of getting in if it came round again. And whether it would be better than my secure, reasonably well paid but desk-based (and therefore fairly dull) job.

Lummox you make a fair point though, morale in the service sounds pretty low at the moment by all accounts.

Im in englandshire. Scotland appears to be in turmoil at the min not a place id like to be a firefighter

I clear just short of 1500 a month so money isnt great when you factor in 2 nights a week and 6 out if every 8 weekends hit in someway and missing Christmas and other important dates. But its swings and roundabouts trails are quiet on a tues aft 😉

I certainly wouldn’t join again given my time over

Reading the comments above, redundancies, pension and pay, I’d be staying as an engineer. If our economy ever gets moving then engineering will be the future

Lummox – which public service are you referring to? It’s not clear from your comments. 🙁

We have guy in our shift who is colour blind, so yes you can join.

But as the others say I wouldn’t join at this present time unless you have a long term plan and are using the fire service as a stepping stone. We have a number of people who are studying for other jobs whilst in fire service.

Everyone is on a countdown to retirement used to be a great job but lummox has it right it’s been **** over by the gov.

Next on their agenda is us doing the work of the ambulance service. Instead of funding them better they are pilling more work on us for no extra payment.

Avoid

wot they said really ^^^^

we have at least one colour blind lad in our brigade that i know of, but hes just not allowed to drive thats all. we also have to make cuts yet we’re still taking on, but its all being done internally now, from competent retained i think itll be. saves money.

as the others have said, pays not great, pensions are sh*t, morales low and things will only get worse. our service dont do the general 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off shift, we’re mostly doing ‘4 days and nights on, 4 off’ sometimes ‘5 days and nights on, 3 off’. so some of the time we’ll take every call within a 120 hr period. obviously you can sleep at night, but not if theres callouts. get a bit more money for the inconvenience but its not worth it to me.
other brigades seem to be cottoning on to this shift pattern now as its the most cost effective, 2 watches instead of 4. i not like :-/

anyways i digress, back to the OP. i can see the attraction for the fire service as an outsider, but really it aint great. yes theres good days when you think “blimey, this is fun, and im getting paid for this!!” such as boat training on the river in the summer, but theyre few and far between. and its tough enough to get in anyway so being colour blind isnt going to help, but if youre committed enough then fair play to you and good luck 🙂

My ‘service’ is a southern England shire brigade, I won’t name it directly or one of our social media spies might not appreciate what I’ve said.

In the 14 years I’ve served I’ve seen such massive changes that I just can’t see where these ‘savings’ are going to come from.

Oh let’s have a stab in the dark with this. Biggest expense in FS is wages and pension payments. Cut more jobs no wages to pay, sack people for being old and unfit. Job done!

I still believe that the government want a fire service that is made up of volunteers or retained. If they can get rid of full time firefighters it would be job done.

5 yrs 1 month to go

My ‘service’ is a southern England shire brigade, I won’t name it directly or one of our social media spies might not appreciate what I’ve said.

I was tenuously alluding to the similar ruination of other public services, although it was perhaps too vague! Though you evidently have the same sort of telling-the-public-everything-is-great department we do.

Ditto here Bruneep , two months more than you to do and I’m counting every second !

So this whole pension malarky… Is it only bad for folk who have been in the service for a while and are transitioning onto the new pension plan? Or bad for newbies too? (sorry i don’t really understand the intricate details of it)

I heard it isn’t so bad in Scotland.

NFSW sweary

Ha ha ha ha ha! Its shite being Scottish

Lots of job losses in Fire Services at the moment as well as having their terms and conditions hammered. However out of all the public services I have come across they have probably been the ones with the best attitude.