East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service - Retained Firefighters

Challenge

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service have had an ongoing issue recruiting Retained Firefighters to cover their stations on a part time basis. Retained Firefighters do the job in addition to their normal day job and need to be on call regularly and able to respond quickly. The criteria is really strict and you must be able to get to your station within 5 minutes to qualify. This means the target audience is very small. Previously they had used local press and radio and had very out of date marketing material so came to us for some new ideas.

Solution

Firstly we focused on the message; the key thing that potential candidates need to understand is that they can do this job as well as their day job but do need to be ready to drop everything and get to their station. It also needed to apply to all ages, as well as to both men and women. Our concept focused on existing Retained Firefighters – we carried out bespoke photoshoots showing them doing their day job and then in their Firefighting gear at their station. We used a mixture of people including a lady who works being a Retained Firefighter around being a stay at home Mum. We designed a bespoke microsite incorporating the concept and using the photography to give as much information as possible up front to reduce applications from people who don’t meet the required criteria. The media plan was really targeted and incorporated Facebook (using geographical criteria), local radio advertising and a targeted leaflet drop to homes within 5 minutes of each station. We also targeted local employers with an email explaining the benefits of one of their employees becoming a Retained Firefighter and a local leisure centre with mirror stickers that asked ‘Are you as fit as a Firefighter?’ as one of the key criteria is fitness levels.

Result

The campaign is still ongoing. So far 2,342 people have visited the website and 94 have downloaded the application form. Not huge numbers but when you look at the small target audience we are talking to this is a great result.