Retained (On-Call) Firefighter Pay Explained

Retained firefighters — often called on-call firefighters — are the backbone of fire cover across much of the UK, crewing stations in towns and villages where a full-time watch would be uneconomical. But how they’re paid confuses almost everyone at first glance, because retained firefighter pay doesn’t follow the salary model most people know. There’s no annual salary to pro-rate; instead, there’s a retaining fee, drill-night payments, and call-out fees that stack into an annual total.

This guide explains every element of retained firefighter pay in the UK, how the pieces fit together, and what a typical retained firefighter actually earns in a year — so you can decide whether the on-call life makes financial sense alongside your day job.

If you’re comparing retained firefighting with conventional part-time work, the free pro rata salary calculator on the UKProRata homepage is handy for the day-job side of the equation.

What “retained” actually means

Retained firefighters are not volunteers — they are paid employees of their fire and rescue service. They carry a pager (or “alerter”) and must be able to reach their station within a set time — usually around five minutes — when called. Most retained firefighters have a primary job or are self-employed, fitting fire cover around it.

The key concept: you’re paid for availability as well as activity. Even if you never turn a wheel in a quiet week, the retaining fee recognises that you’ve restricted your freedom — you couldn’t go hiking in the hills or take a long lunch across town, because you had to stay within five minutes of the station.

The three building blocks of retained pay

1. The annual retaining fee

This is the foundation payment — a fixed annual sum for being available for an agreed number of hours per week. Fire services typically offer cover bands such as 60, 80, 100, or 120+ hours per week of availability, and the retaining fee rises with the hours you commit to.

Illustrative annual retaining fees (these vary by fire service and are uplifted periodically — check your local service):

The retaining fee is pensionable pay and is typically paid monthly in twelve equal instalments.

2. Drill nights (training sessions)

Retained crews train together regularly — usually one evening per week, the famous “drill night”. You’re paid for each drill session you attend, at an hourly rate set by your fire service. A typical drill night lasts 2–3 hours.

If the drill-night rate is, say, £14 per hour and you attend a 2.5-hour session weekly for 48 weeks of the year:

• £14 × 2.5 × 48 = £1,680 per year from drill nights

Attendance matters: miss drill nights and this element shrinks. Services also require a minimum attendance percentage to remain competent and “on the run”.

3. Call-out payments (turnouts and activity)

When the alerter goes off, you respond. Call-outs are paid from the time you’re mobilised, usually with a minimum payment per call-out (commonly one hour) even if you’re stood down quickly. The hourly turnout rate is higher than the drill rate — reflecting the urgency and disruption.

A realistic illustration:

• Turnout rate: £16 per hour (minimum 1 hour per call-out)
• Average call-outs: 3 per week, averaging 1.5 hours each
• Weekly call-out pay: 3 × 1.5 × £16 = £72
• Annual call-out pay: £72 × 52 = £3,744

Busy urban-fringe stations can see far more call-outs; quiet rural stations far fewer. This is the most variable element of retained pay and the hardest to predict before you join — ask the station’s existing crew what a typical year looks like.

Worked example: a year in the life of a retained firefighter

Let’s put it together for a firefighter providing 80 hours of weekly availability at a moderately busy station:

That’s roughly £800 per month before tax — a meaningful second income, though not a living wage on its own. At a busier station with more call-outs, totals of £12,000–£15,000+ are realistic; at a very quiet station, you might see £6,000–£8,000.

Remember these are illustrative rates. Actual retaining fees, drill rates, and turnout rates are set by each fire and rescue service and updated periodically — your service’s HR or the station officer can give you the current figures.

How retained pay interacts with your day job

Most retained firefighters combine the role with full-time or part-time primary employment. A few things to get right:

• Employer agreement: you need your primary employer’s consent, since call-outs can pull you away during working hours. Many employers are supportive (some even have formal policies), but get it in writing.
• Tax: retained firefighter pay is taxed as employment income through PAYE. If it’s your second job, you’ll likely be on a BR (basic rate) tax code for the fire service income — meaning 20% tax deducted at source with no personal allowance. This is normal and corrects itself through your annual tax position; keep your P60s.
• National Insurance: as a second job, you may pay NICs on the retained income if it exceeds the relevant thresholds when combined with your main earnings.
• Working Time Regulations: your combined hours across both jobs count toward the 48-hour weekly average limit, unless you opt out. Many retained firefighters sign an opt-out — discuss this with both employers.
• Self-employed retained firefighters: if you’re self-employed, call-outs during the working day cost you day-job income. Factor this into whether the role pays for you — the retaining fee alone rarely compensates for lost self-employed hours.

Pension and other entitlements

Retained firefighters are entitled to pension provision — historically through the Firefighters’ Pension Scheme, with modified scheme arrangements recognising retained service. The details have been through significant legal change (notably following the O’Brien and Matthews cases on part-time workers’ pension rights), so:

• Your retaining fee and regular payments are generally pensionable.
• Past retained service may qualify for backdated pension rights — if you’ve served as retained for many years, it’s worth asking your service’s pensions team for a statement.
• Holiday entitlement accrues pro rata and applies to your retained role alongside your day job’s entitlement.
• Sick pay and maternity/paternity provisions apply as for any employee, calculated on your retained earnings.

Pension for retained firefighters is genuinely complex and has been litigated at the highest levels — don’t rely on general guidance for your specific situation; get a personal illustration from the scheme administrators.

Is retained firefighting worth it financially?

Honestly? Nobody joins the retained service to get rich. The financial case looks like this:

For: a reliable second income of roughly £6,000–£15,000 per year; pension accrual on top of your day job; paid training and qualifications (including LGV licences in some services); genuine community status.

Against: the availability commitment restricts your life significantly — holidays, evenings out, and spontaneous plans all need cover arrangements; call-outs disrupt sleep and family life; the hourly rate, while fair, won’t match most skilled day jobs.

The people who thrive as retained firefighters tend to value the crew, the training, and the community role as much as the money. If the finances need to work on their own, model your realistic call-out rate conservatively and make sure the retaining fee plus modest activity covers what you need.

To compare the retained income against cutting your day-job hours instead, run both scenarios through the free pro rata salary calculator — it helps to see the trade-off in black and white.

Part-time pay in other jobs: civil service · council (NJC) staff · police staff · prison officers · probation officers · social workers · librarians · museum assistants · charity staff · retail assistants · hospitality staff

FAQs

Do retained firefighters get paid if there are no call-outs?

Yes — the annual retaining fee is paid regardless of call-out volume, because it pays for your availability, not your activity. You’d still earn the retaining fee plus drill-night payments in a quiet year; only the call-out element would be low.

How quickly do I need to respond to a call-out?

Typically within about five minutes of the alerter sounding, though the exact requirement is set by your fire and rescue service. This is why retained firefighters usually live or work very close to their station — the geography of the role is non-negotiable.

Can I be a retained firefighter with a full-time job?

Yes — most are. You’ll need your employer’s agreement for responding to daytime call-outs, and you’ll need to manage your combined working hours under the Working Time Regulations (many sign an opt-out). Shift workers often find retained service fits well around their rota.

Is retained firefighter pay pensionable?

The retaining fee and regular payments are generally pensionable under the firefighters’ pension arrangements, including modified scheme provisions for retained service. Given the complex legal history, ask your service’s pensions team for a personalised statement rather than relying on general descriptions.

The bottom line

Retained firefighter pay = retaining fee (for availability) + drill-night pay (for training) + call-out pay (for turnouts). A typical retained firefighter might earn £6,000–£15,000 a year depending on availability hours and station busyness — a solid second income rather than a primary wage. Get the current rates from your local fire and rescue service, talk to the crew at the station about real call-out volumes, and go in with your eyes open about the lifestyle commitment. The pager doesn’t care about your dinner plans.