As part of your application to become a firefighter, you will be asked to provide medical and health information at an early stage so we can ensure that you are fit and well enough to take part in our assessments.
It will also be necessary for you to undergo an eyesight test and medical examination later in the recruitment process.
For your eyesight test, you will be asked to attend an appointment with one of our approved opticians, who will assess your vision in line with our eyesight entry standards – visual acuity, colour vision and field of vision – and advise the Service of any visual difficulties detected. If you have any concerns about your eyesight, you may wish to attend your local Specsavers prior to this stage of the recruitment process.
For your medical examination, which includes a hearing test, you will be invited to attend one of our Occupational Health Units.
Eyesight standards
For your eyesight test, you will be asked to attend an appointment with your local Specsavers opticians, who will assess your vision in line with our eyesight entry standards. If you wear glasses, please ensure you take these to your eyesight appointment.
A form will be provided to you which the optician must complete, and you will need to send back to the Service before attendance at your occupational health physician appointment. Our required standards are as follows:
- Vision must be binocular.
- Have a corrected visual acuity of 6/9 binocularly with a minimum of 6/12 in the worse eye.
- Have no more than +3.00 dioptres of hypermetropia in each eye.
- Be able to read N12 at 30cm aided with both eyes open.
- Have a normal visual field in each eye, as determined by confrontation techniques or formal testing methods.
- Have no history of night blindness or any ocular disease that is likely to progress and result in future failure of the visual standards for serving firefighters.
- Have an appropriate level of colour perception.
- Have not undergone refractive surgery in the previous 12 months.
Medical assessment
The medical will include:
- Height
- Weight
- Blood pressure
- Blood glucose test (finger prick or by urine sample)
- Eye test – near and distance vision (with and without spectacles if worn)
- Breathing test (lung function)
- Hearing test (audiometry)
- Fitness assessment – Chester Treadmill Walk Test (please refer to this useful guidance document on what this involves)
We are currently reviewing drug and alcohol test arrangements, and it is likely that these will be included in future medical examinations.
Additionally, you will be asked questions about your general health and any disabilities/medical needs you may have (a medical questionnaire will need to be completed prior to your attendance). An Occupational Health Technician will conduct the necessary tests.
This will be followed up (not necessarily straightaway but on the same day) with an appointment with the Occupational Health Physician, who will review the test results, undertake any further testing (if required) and provide a medical decision on your fitness for operational duties.
Please note, prior to this decision (and largely dependent on your test results and clinical information you have disclosed) the physician may require your consent to liaise with any specialists or treating teams you have or had. Alternatively, you may be referred back to your GP for further tests to be conducted on the NHS. In such cases, a decision regarding your fitness will remain pending until the Occupational Health Physician has all the information needed to enable them to make a clinical informed decision.
We receive many enquiries from applicants during recruitment regarding current and/or past medical issues. Unfortunately, we cannot give definitive guidance regarding individual issues as all clinical matters require consultation with the Occupational Health Physician and GPs/treating teams for them to decide whether an applicant is suitable to carry out the role of a firefighter. All cases will be considered on an individual basis.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act, we do not divulge any medical information to anyone outside of occupational health without your written consent.
Hearing standards
Applicants for firefighting who meet the H2 standard should be considered fit for role. Applicants who score lower than H2 may be required to undertake additional functional testing before a decision on fitness can be determined.