Hydrant Technician

Summary

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service has a fantastic opportunity available for a Hydrant Technician to join our Hydrants Team working out of our Chelston Workshops. You will join us on a full-time, permanent basis working 37 hours per week. In return, you will receive a competitive salary of  £28624.00 - £31067.00 per annum.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the largest non-metropolitan Fire and Rescue Service in England. We provide prevention, protected, and response services across the counties of Devon and Somerset. 

Our vision is that together, we will work to end preventable fire and rescue emergencies, creating a safer world for you and your family. Keeping people safe is what we do, and we owe our fantastic reputation to our highly skilled and motivated workforce with other 1,800 staff. 

About the role:

As a Hydrant Technician you will be responsible for inspecting, maintaining and carrying out minor repairs to all existing hydrants and inspect new installations. You will be obtaining hydrant data at source and assist in the maintenance of an accurate electronic register of fire hydrants. 

Find out more:

Key responsibilities of the Hydrant Technician role will include: 

• To survey hydrants within allocated Service areas (urban and rural) to verify, obtain and update information for existing and newly identified apparatus, and new installations. To make associated database updates as appropriate. 
• To assess hydrants to establish a risk prioritised re-inspection strategy and assist with the allocation and organisation of inspection work. 
• To carry out a dynamic risk assessment of the work area, employ safe systems of work in line with personal capabilities, and use appropriate signings, lighting and guarding compliant with Highways legislation. 
• To inspect fire hydrants to investigate reported defects from operational personnel, Water Providers, Highways Authority, and members of the public. 
• To carry out repairs to hydrants on roadways, verges and pavements, acting on own initiative, subject to highways legislation, procedural guidance and British Standards for Fire Hydrants and make associated database updates as appropriate. Repairs and maintenance works will include cleaning hydrant chambers of mud, water and rubbish, painting covers and/or marker posts and/or plates; installation, replacement and relocation of marker posts and/or plates; screwing down the hydrant case to stop minor leaks; fitting false spindles where missing from the installation; hydrant outlet replacement and capping minor leaks. 
• To report major defects and leaks directly to the water providers as and when identified, to notify the Lead Hydrant Technician accordingly and make associated database updates. 
• To report all other defects to the Lead Hydrant Technician  and make database updates as appropriate, including in assisting with decisions regarding the strategic abandonment or relocation of fire hydrants. 
• To carry out inspections of new installations and repairs to hydrants by the water provider or their subcontractors to ensure that work that has been completed  to an acceptable standard, to notify the Lead Technician according and update databases.
• To liaise with water providers, engineers, agents and subcontractors with regards to defects, installations and planned and ongoing water schemes. 
• To liaise with operational personnel, as required, to obtain and provide information regarding hydrants and other emergency water supplies. 
• To request orders for consumables and equipment used for repair and maintenance of fire hydrants. 

Closing Date: 2359hrs Sunday 1 December 2024

For more information or an informal discussion about the role please contact Amanda Trenchard - Hydrant Manager, via atrenchard@dsfire.gov.uk

If you feel you have the skills and experience to become our Hydrant Technician please click 'apply' today, we'd love to hear from you. 

The successful candidate must, by the commencement of employment, have the right to work in the UK. 

How to apply:

You will be required to complete an application form and submit a document evidencing how you meet the following essential criteria taken from the Job Description and Person Specification. 

We are not able to shortlist from a CV, so please ensure you provide evidence against the following criteria in full, demonstrating how you meet each criteria. 

1. Proven self-motivation with good time management, planning and organisational skills. 
2. Previous experience of manual handling. 
3. Proven experience of working with MS Office software packages (Outlook, Word, Excel). 
4. Awareness of risk assessment processes. 
5. Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise own workload and also be an active team member. 
6. Good interpersonal skills

To help you complete this part of the application form please find attached below the word document 'Hydrant Technician - Essential criteria for completion" for you to download and complete with your evidence for the above criteria. You can then upload this document where requested when completing your application form. Please note that there is a maximum word count of 2000 words (excluding titles) applied to your evidence document. 

Evidence submitted in relation to the above will be used for shortlisting any applications received. 

Our values

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and all employees must share this commitment and adhere to the Services' Safeguarding Policy and Procedure. 

Fire and Rescue Authority roles are listed in Schedule 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order and as such it is our policy to require all applicants to disclose any criminal convictions (both spent and unspent) including driving offences, cautions and/or reprimands. 

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority are committed to the rehabilitation of offenders, as such any positive disclosures will incorporate a reasonable and proportionate response. 

As a Service and as individuals: 

• We are proud to help
• We are honest
• We are respectful
• We are working together

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service recognise and celebrate the vast diversity of the local communities that we serve and aspire for this to be reflected within our workforce. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, experiences and beliefs, who share our values, to consider working for us.