The Women’s Fire Service Network is a national network dedicated to building a more inclusive and diverse fire service, supporting people of all backgrounds to succeed in careers that protect communities across Ireland.
While our roots are in supporting women, our mission is broader: to promote the fire service as a rewarding and welcoming profession for everyone. Our new campaign, “Fire up the Future”, is supported by the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) and the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA). It is a part of our mission to showcase the many opportunities available within the fire service — from front-line firefighting to leadership roles at the Chief Fire Officer level.
What We Do
Promote Careers: Educating the public about the vital work of the fire service, from emergency response and rescue to prevention, community safety, and leadership.
Champion Inclusivity: Encouraging diversity across gender, culture, and background to ensure the fire service reflects the communities it serves.
Host Events: Annual national events with NDFEM featuring talks, workshops, and real stories from serving firefighters and officers.
Challenge Stereotypes: Breaking down barriers and showing that the fire service is for everyone — not just a select few.
Why It Matters
The fire service is more than firefighting — it’s teamwork, leadership, resilience, and service to the public. WFSN helps people see the full career pathway, from fire prevention to protection, from the frontline to leadership - we do more than fight fires, we shape communities!
In terms of the jobs, the fire service isn’t an nationally run service so jobs are advertised in 2 separate ways
Retained Firefighter Roles
Retained firefighters are a vital part of the Irish Fire Service, providing on-call emergency cover in their own communities. These roles are “part-time” but require real commitment — retained firefighters must live within 3km or 5 minutes of their fire station and be available to respond quickly to emergencies.
To support work–life balance, cover arrangements can include a week-on, week flexible rota availability, depending on local station requirements.
Recruitment is managed by local authorities, with vacancies advertised by county and city councils. Successful applicants receive the same high-quality training as full-time firefighters and play a crucial role in fire prevention, emergency response, and community safety. It’s a challenging but highly rewarding way to serve your community while developing new skills.
Fire Officer positions within the Irish Fire Service provide opportunities for progression into leadership and management, with responsibilities ranging from overseeing daily station operations to strategic planning, fire prevention, fire safety enforcement,major emergency management and incident command. These roles are critical to ensuring both effective emergency response and strong community fire prevention programmes. Recruitment for Fire Officer posts is advertised either at local authority level or through the national PublicJobs.ie portal, depending on the grade and nature of the vacancy.
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