East Sussex Wholetime - Success

[JJames123]

Hello everyone

I got the thumbs up at the medical the other day so everything's done and have been placed on the Feb. course at the FS College. My finalised contract is being sent out, excited is an understatement.

I'd just like to say a massive thank you to everyone on this forum and especially those who've engaged with me and provided resources that I have drawn from. I really couldn't of done it without the help I received so I am extremely grateful! This was my third attempt; I failed the SJT for West Sussex FRS and failed the Arctic Shores assessment for Essex FRS (I thought playing computer games to assess your ability to be a FF was bizarre but I've heard that it does have its logic so hey-ho). I failed very early on in my first attempts but then managed to go all the way so you really do just have to keep trying.

Just some tips I think helped me and would be useful to those going through the process:

Application form: Make sure you spend a good amount of time on your form and absolutely no spelling mistakes (There are so many applicants, why would you slip up over something like this?). If you can, try to show how your experience helps you fit the criteria that they are looking for.

Ability tests: I found the practice tests on FRS Development to be very good. I also had a look at GCSE bitesize for the English and Maths. I was really surprised how difficult these tests were so don't underestimate them.

Physical fitness and role related physical tests: For the bleep test/Chest treadmill etc. just make sure you get in your cardio and plenty of it. I found starting off with some longer cardio like running for 30-45 mins helped give me a good base and then doing more intense sessions involving things like HIIT and sprints replicated the intensity of the tests. For me, I find running quite boring and like to mix it up with stuff at the gym like the Rowing machine and cycling. Boxing is something I have taken up in the last couple of years and it has helped me improve my fitness dramatically so I'd recommend it to anyone. I did have a White Collar bout in August which I survived but got my brains rattled about in the process so I can't say sparring/competing is the healthiest thing🥴 But the fitness through boxercise is unmatched. A couple weeks before the bleep test I set up my own one with some cones in a car park to practice. I did it with a mate and we just put our headphones in and had a go. It will help your confidence immensely if you've practiced and know you can reach the standard. I found on the day adrenaline gave me a little push as well.

For the role specific tests I did the following to help me prepare:

I borrowed a neighbours massive ladder and practiced going up and down and performing a leg lock. I found this just helped me go through the motions ready for the day.

I practiced the equipment carry as best I could in the gym. There is a bit for the sled at my gym where you can run up and down but its shorter than the actual distance so I just did a few extra laps. I used a barbell, some of those power bags and dumbbells to replicate what you have to carry. I think there's some videos online where you can see what the equipment carry involves. If you don't go to the gym I'm sure you could improvise in a quiet car park somewhere with some other stuff/household items

For the ladder lift I was able to curl and shoulder press 30kg anyway ( I think this is the right weight?) But I appreciate this is not the case for a lot of people. So I would see how much you can do then every week or two add 1.25kg or 2.5kg until you reach the right amount and can do it comfortably.

The manual dexterity was a BA so was very straightforward but I still faffed around quite a bit. I watched videos online of other ones so I'd recommend to just keep watching those.

For the enclosed space we had to follow a rope through an indoor obstacle course blindfolded. I don't think you can really practice for this but staying calm and having good fitness really helped me. I wasted at least 20-30secs at the beginning because I got stuck but still passed. So don't panic and just keep going.

I didn't practice for the casualty drag but more recently I have been putting weight on the sled at the gym, attaching some ropes to it and dragging it. It is a really good workout and replicates this nicely so If I was to go back I'd practice doing this a lot more. I guess you could also ask a friend if they don't mind being a dummy lol

Interview

Don't underestimate this at all. I spent a couple hours every eve for about 2 weeks prior thinking about my answers and what I was going to say. I've had a lot of interviews before and failed all of the 'important' ones which knocked my confidence a bit. But I said to myself I'm not going to let my past define the future and I'm going to go in confidently. I found the potential questions on How2Become really useful. I basically went through all of these and jotted down what I would answer if they came up, with a focus on the most common ones. I then went through these with a mate, I didn't try to remember it word for word as that would be too robotic but just the general points of what I was trying to say. These came up in my interview:

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Teamwork, Planning and executing a task, Customer Service, A mistake you made and then rectified, Something that made you feel uncomfortable and how you reacted

From what I hear, the Equality & Diversity question/s is really key and rightly so, so make sure you're prepared for it.

There was also a role play exercise before the interview. They gave you loads of notes and 5 mins to prepare. They're not expecting you to remember everything just some key things and seeing you can remain calm. I forgot a lot of information when speaking with the role player but I stayed calm and remained engaged and didn't allow myself to be thrown off or flustered.

One thing I would definitely recommend to help your application stick out and for the interview is volunteering. I started a few years ago and after deciding I wanted to try and become a FF I really stepped in up a bit and did as much as I could. I think this really looked good for the application and I was able to talk about it a lot in the Interview. For example, for one role I've been speaking on the phone with elderly people helping them get to grips with technology. In the interview I could say this showed how I took an interest in the community and helped to promote diversity by allowing a group to get better access to online services which are essential to life nowadays. I appreciate people are often very busy and don't have a huge amount of spare time but 30 mins a week was all I had to do at points and it really was invaluable looking back now. Also with the new world we live in there are loads of things you can do from home so It's easier than ever

Keep looking at this forum and the resources and make use of any help you're offered. I messaged a few people esp. about the interview and in honesty I think that really helped me pass.

I will always be here now to offer my advice to anyone going through the process as best I can. Onwards and upwards and can't wait to get going in my new career!!

Best wishes

Jacob

[Jobbo]

Well done Jacob! Great advice too 👍

[OscarHoop]

Congratulations @JJames123 👏🏻 

[Carl]

Big congratulations and well done. As I always say, its nice to see people who have worked hard get the result they deserve. 

Im sure many will also like your post to show their appreciation for your insight which may be all some people need to give them that push. 

Look forward to the career ahead and I hope you stay about and continue to assist where you can. 👍

[C_Iain]

Congratulations @JJames123 👍

[JJames123]

Thank you everyone for the kind messages

[Noddy]

Well done 👍👍

[Andy1]

@JJames123 congratulations! Enjoy what lies ahead! 👍🏼

[Harve88]

Well done I’m glad to see someone else not giving up, like you I applied several times before getting in and it’s the best thing I’ve done 👍🏻