Home Safety Assistant

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service are looking for Home Safety Assistants to enhance our team based at our Service Headquarters in Exeter. There are multiple positions available, with various hours (full time and part time)., As our Home Safety Assistant, you will act as the first point of contact for members of the public, partner agencies and internal staff, providing relevant and necessary home safety advice to prevent fires in the home.

You will manage and prioritise the diaries for over 30 Home Safety Technicians for home safety visits, replacement alarms and arson letterbox requests, and liaise with other Departments and external agencies where required.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is an Emergency Service, and this is a very busy role which involves conversations with very vulnerable members of the community, some of which can be distressing, in order to prioritise risks and book Home Safety visits accordingly. We need people who are experienced and confident with this type of role., Act as the first point of contact for members of the public and partner agencies to process and action any requests for Home Safety Visits for the most vulnerable members of the community.
Act as the first point of contact for Home Safety Technicians regarding changes to their workloads / schedules, to provide information on points of contact and any additional safety information required.
Manage phone calls to and from extremely vulnerable members of the community, some of which are distressing, in a calm, reassuring and professional manner.
Control and Monitor the FireKills email inbox and ensure each request is actioned appropriately and in line with required deadlines.
Use agreed criteria and processes to determine eligibility of highly vulnerable occupants for a home safety visit with an appropriately trained Technician, while also having the authority to use professional judgement to override these criteria and processes when risks are apparent from the initial contact, whether this is over the phone or via written correspondence and arrange a home safety visit. Provide appropriate safety advice, signposting and information to members of the public who are not eligible for a visit.
Manage and update the Home Safety systems and other essential Community Safety IT based systems quickly and accurately, and in accordance with GDPR requirements.

What we are looking for in our Home Safety Assistant

Good Academic background
Knowledge of basic office systems and procedures
Willingness to undergo Vetting/Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks as required by the Service
Ability to work effectively and efficiently on own initiative as well as a member of a busy team, taking responsibility for personal performance and responding to feedback
Good listening and questioning skills
Flexible and facilitative approach
A commitment to continuous improvement
Ability to work under conditions where you are interrupted on a regular basis, Proven administration and time management skills
Ability to interpret and appropriately act on guidance/procedures
Proven ability to maintain confidentiality
Excellent telephone manner; ability to readily create rapport with client/situation and to determine appropriate need exercising appropriate levels of empathy/patience when dealing with vulnerable callers
Experience or handling conflict/hostile situation with customers
Ability to work effectively and efficiently on own initiative as well as a member of a busy team, taking responsibility for personal performance and responding to feedback
To help you complete this part of the application form please find attached below the word document "Essential Criteria for Risk and Insurance Support Officer Application" for you to download and complete with your evidence for the above criteria. You can then upload this document where requested when completing your application., Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service is the largest non-metropolitan Fire and Rescue Service in England. We provide prevention, protection, and response services across the counties of Devon and Somerset.

Our vision is that together, we will work to end preventable fire and rescue emergencies, creating a safer world for you and your family. Keeping people safe is what we do, and we owe our fantastic reputation to our highly skilled and motivated workforce.

In return, you will receive a competitive salary of £27334 - £29777 (pro-rata for part time) per annum., We are respectful
We are working together
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service recognise and celebrate the vast diversity of the local communities that we serve, and we aspire for this to be reflected in our workforce. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, experience and beliefs, who share our values to consider working for us.