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# More than 1,300 applicants battle it out for just 16 firefighter roles in Staffordshire
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/more-than-1300-applicants-battle-it-out-for-just-16-firefighter-roles-in-staffordshire/
- Published: 2023-12-23T08:02:00.000Z
- Updated: 2023-12-20T20:05:30.000Z
- Description: More than 1,300 people have applied for just 16 firefighter roles in Staffordshire.
- Author: Jonathan Sutton, Local Democracy Reporter
- Tags: #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 18:58, News

More than 1,300 people have applied for just 16 firefighter roles in Staffordshire.

The applicants are expected to be whittled down to around 100 who will be invited for interview.

Of those who completed the initial application form for jobs with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, 850 have made it through to a series of online tests in the second phase.

The final stages will feature a fitness test and other checks as well as a formal interview.

Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber said that he hoped more vacancies would be available in the future due to a proportion of the current workforce due for retirement. He said:

> “Over the next few years we will be recruiting quite consistently.  
>  
> “We’ve got a retirement profile that means we will be losing a number of people over the next few years and we need to make sure that we are bringing new people into the organisation.  
>  
> “A new generation of firefighters will deliver the highest possible levels of safety to our communities.”  
>  
> Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber

However, questions have been raised over the diversity of the service and what can be done to make it more representative of the people they serve.

The service is currently dominated by white British men, with over 93% of the workforce white British and 80% male.

LGBT groups are also underrepresented making up less than 1% of the workforce – however, 38% of staff chose not to state their sexual orientation.

Steps are being taken to improve the diversity with the implementation of a Positive Action Coordinator who will encourage applicants from underrepresented communities to take up a career with the service.

The Chief Fire Officer continued:

> “The importance of having a diverse workforce is paramount because we need to reflect the communities we serve.  
>  
> “We need to look at the numbers of our communities from underrepresented groups understands what career options are available within the fire and rescue service.  
>  
> “I am pleased to say in this last round of applications we’ve seen an increase in the diversity of people applying and we’ve got to recognise that the protected characteristics aren’t just ethnic minorities or female – we’ve got a whole set of diverse individuals who work for our service now.  
>  
> “We’re just doing a big piece of work around neurodiversity, people with neurodiverse conditions actually are operating really, really well in our organisation and we’re assessing those people and putting the right support into their working life to make sure they can flourish and be the best they can possibly be.”  
>  
> Chief Fire Officer Rob Barber