About support roles
We wouldn’t be able to respond to the 52,000 emergencies we deal with every year without the help of our Support teams. Our firefighters may be the ones who attend the incidents, but the vital work that goes on behind the scenes is just as crucial in helping us to save lives.
From cooks to cleaners and personal assistants to heads of departments, we have a vast range of support staff positions. Take a look at examples of just some of the support teams within Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
Community Safety Team
Broadly speaking, this team looks at ways to make Greater Manchester a safer place to live. They have four key areas of focus: Arson, Unsociable Behaviour, Safety in the Home, and Fire Risk Reduction.
Corporate Communications Team
As well as helping to promote the work of the service through local media, including TV, radio and newspapers, this team distributes messages and information to people within the organisation and manages the website and intranet.
Finance
This team manage the payroll for all the service’s employees, control the annual budgets for the service (which run into millions of pounds), and provide general financial advice to department managers.
Human Resources
This team are responsible for looking after the welfare and development of everyone within the service. And when you consider how different the needs of a firefighter are to those of our IT team, that’s quite a challenge.
Information and Communications Technology
Throughout the service we use, and rely on, a wide range of communications technology - everything from the phone system that enables us to take ‘999’ emergency calls, to the radios our firefighters use when attending an incident. This team is responsible for making sure that technology stays in perfect working order.
Property Management
With 41 stations, a large Headquarters, a Technical Service Centre and a major training centre, we have quite a substantial property portfolio. Our Property Management team are responsible for making sure they’re all well looked after.
Transport and Technical Services
As the title of the team suggests, they look after our fleet of vehicles – including our fire engines. They have a big workshop in Leigh, where they carry out a lot of their maintenance - testing all equipment and providing a repair service to keep everything in good working order. They also get involved in the design of new vehicles and equipment, to ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of the communities we serve.