So many want to become fire constables – fighting for 160 study places

OLA TØMMERÅS

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A separate vocational school for fire and rescue personnel has been in demand for more than 30 years. Several investigations in the 2000s concluded that it is urgent to secure education for the personnel at the country’s fire stations. Now the school is ready, and so are the students.

Last year was the very first admission to the school, but there were only 20 places. They started in January this year, and have been teaching in Rogaland while waiting for the work on the school and training center to be completed in Tjeldsund in Nordland.

• And you thought that firefighters only put out fires?

There is great interest in school places – as many as 1,119 applicants want to become fire constables, but there are not that many study places.

This year’s intake is a total of 160 students, with 80 starting in August and 80 in January 2025.

Last year there were 646 applicants for admission to 20 places. The increase is well over 70 per cent. The proportion of female applicants has also increased from 16 to 18 per cent. Of the applicants this year, more than 200 are women. Last year, none of the female applicants got a place. That may change this year.

– Actually, I was a bit disappointed last year. We are spoiled by the number of applicants in fire and rescue. When we advertise candidate positions, it is not unusual to have well over 500 applicants, says Ketil Sivertsen in the Norwegian Fire and Rescue Forum.

– With the number who have applied to the school this year, it bodes very well for the future, he states.

• Here is the first batch of professional training for fire and rescue personnel

SCHOOL: The education will take place here in Tjeldsund in Nordland.

Ola Tømmerås

This is also stated by the principal of the Fire and Rescue School, Karl Erik Arnesen.

– This is fantastic news. Last year’s figures impressed me, and the fact that we are getting such a large increase this year is very positive. It is important for emergency preparedness that so many young people want to work as fire and rescue personnel, he says in a press release.

He says that the school has worked actively to reach out with information to potential students.

– Among other things, we have been present at education fairs all over the country and run campaigns in social media. I believe and hope that we have reached out both to those who have long had a dream of working in fire and rescue, and to those who may not have thought that this could be a profession for them, but who have now become curious.