WFP started in 2003 as a niche offering in the fire safety market, offering wireless alarm systems in a world that hadn’t been introduced to the iPhone yet.

  Today, we’re a close-knit team offering in excess of 30 fire, security and electrical services, and the highest rated commercial installer in Essex. That kind of development doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a lot of hard graft, patience and, above all – a great team. Our Founding Director, Paul Field, comes from a career in the Navy, fire alarm services and marketing; together it made for one clued up and ambitious leader who had a vision of combining the all-important elements of precision, safety and customer service. That meant, over years, building and cultivating individuals with the right attitude and who shared that same vision of our three core values: reliability, honesty and professionalism. WFP isn’t somewhere you come to work to just pay the bills. It’s where careers are made. That’s just one of the reasons why we’re the winners of the ‘Employer of the Year’ accolade at the FSB East of England Awards 2018, why our Operations Manager won a finalist position as ‘Fire Safety Manager of the Year’ in the 2021 Women in Fire Safety Awards, and why we’ve either won or been shortlisted for numerous awards in between…     …Not to mention having the highest number of 5 star reviews on Google and Trustpilot in the county (and probably beyond). There’s a real mix of people here; some with corporate backgrounds, some who came on board with a flavour for the industry, and some without.  

Here’s what some of them had to say when I asked them what it’s like to work for us:

“Credit should be given when credit is due, I have been in the industry for a while and for me it’s rarely given as I have experienced the worst and the mediocre. That being said, I feel I have found my place within a great company. I am working with a truly focused and committed team that not only enjoy their daily work but also work hard to help each other, there is no us vs them or stepping on each other to ascend the company ladder, only one team working coherently as a unit aiming to achieve success. This company not only has my commitment but has earned my trust. We also have a few laughs along the way.” – Tony, Engineer “WFP is great to work for as it can feel like a family unit. You are treated as a person rather than a number, which I have found in previous companies. The engineers, office staff and management all work well together (there is no them and us) and we all understand that our goal is to deliver a service we can be proud of.” – Sam, Service Desk Administrator “Waking up and looking forward to going to work, says it all!! I love being a part of the WFP family. Teamwork makes the dream work, and it couldn’t be more apparent within our company, I’m proud to be a part of the WFP journey.” – Mark, Compliance Advisor “Having worked in the past for companies who are focused on profits, it was a weight of my shoulders when I joined WFP, where the focus is on customer service. There is nothing more satisfying then working with a team who are liked minded and look out for each other in their hour of need.” – Barry, Technical Director “WFP Fire & Security is the company we all dreamed of working for, and then discovered it isn’t normally like that in the real world. Where due to the life preservation and safety nature of the work we do you are actively encouraged to come forward when a mistake is made or a problem on a site is spotted. Where humans come first and foremost and it’s not just a numbers game – for all areas of WFP. A team of people who are actually a team from the top down, having your back and all working together to do the best they can. Actively encouraging learning, development and progress of all staff. I thought when I started here that this was a fortune cookie reality, waiting for the other shoe to drop and the cookie to crumble. Well over a year later, through a pandemic where fires don’t go on furlough and we are going from strength to strength, all of us playing to our own strengths. And that cookie still hasn’t crumbled. I couldn’t be happier doing this work, working with the team and the ethos of the people here, whilst doing my bit to make the world a better, safer place.” – Elle, Service Desk Administrator

Last but certainly not least…

“When I started Wire-Free Protection, I knew quite a bit about fire & security, but not a lot about running and growing a business, even less about bringing and managing people. What I did about that is was to educate myself; I read books, attended business training seminars, took on a coach that I could barely afford, became a member of business growth organisations and I have continued to invest in myself since that point. That’s made me a better leader and the business has benefited from my growth and experience. This taught me that I need to help others to grow, invest in them, not just financially, but genuinely connect with them, support them and help them be the best that they can be. The feedback from our team tells me that we are getting this right, they feel valued and invested in, they feel pride and committed to. The net result of this is that the client will deal with a motivated, well-trained and supported member of our team, and this means that they will want to deal with the WFP Family.” – Paul, Founding Director  

No talk without trousers

The fire, security and electrical sector is a pretty serious industry so having our game faces on 24/7 is so important. But having a laugh and looking forward to coming to work is also crucial. We’ve got site managers and premises owners calling us in an hour of need asking for help. Sticking to a script and sounding like a robot that wishes the battery in the back of its head would go caput is not how we like to answer the phone. That’s why ping-pong lunches, company socials, casual Fridays, training days, toolbox talks and a dedication towards personal professional development is such a huge part of our ethos and practice here at WFP. Not to mention a generous pension scheme, ad hoc bonuses and incentives to recognise and reward our team members. There’s a lot of answers here about what it’s like to work here, but what’s just as important is how we treat our customers; because without them, there wouldn’t be a WFP. We’re all about the relationship and longevity; it’s a marriage with WFP, no hook-ups. (Except, much less messy – and fewer – divorces…there’s no forcing you to stay with us or crazy loopholes in the fine print. It’s just pure fairness through to the core.)  

Our customers love us because we:

1. Don’t hang about: you’re not kept waiting on-hold, given an auto email response that tells you when our mailbox is monitored, or left scratching your head because we’ve just not gotten back to you. We’re in the safety business for a reason, so customer service and acting fast is built into our business DNA. 2. Aren’t just problem-solvers, we’re educators: empowering you to know more about your safety requirements and systems. 3. Look for ways to save money: be it doing diagnostics on the phone to save on a paid-for engineer call-out, offering monthly direct debits, leasing packages or frozen 3-5 year contracts to help manage budgets better. 4. Offer rewards: successful referrals get £50 worth of rewards to choose from (£25 each to the referrer and the referred). 5. Do things right the first time: no botched jobs or doing a skinny version only to inflate it down the line just to have won your business. We really invest our time into the proposals we offer to make sure it fits the premises (as no two buildings are the same!), the customer’s needs, the budget and the deadline. 6. Are accredited and regularly audited: that means you’ve peace of mind you’re using someone who has safety and legal compliance top of the agenda. 7. Extend or inherit warranties on alarm systems: we’re THAT confident in our installations that we extend standard manufacturer warranties from alarm system products we install when in an ongoing maintenance/servicing contract with us. Because if we’ve installed it and continue to service it, we know it’s taken care of so it’s barely considered a risk for us. 8. Don’t have engineers who are targeted or incentivised during service visits: our engineers are there to do one job and one job only – to keep you safe and legally compliant. We have incentives for referrals and targets for our salespeople to help us achieve business milestones, but for our engineering and expertise, there’s no opportunity to fatten any pockets based on inflating what’s needed at a premises. You’d be surprised how many companies do this, as we recently won the trust of a hospital who was being quoted every year to replace all of their detectors – for detectors which were not only healthy and functional, but also in warranty. What’s recommended is what’s needed, no agenda. 9. Have open protocol alarm systems: some fire and security installers/service providers operate on a “closed protocol” basis; i.e. only they can touch the system, meaning moving away from them is going to cost an arm and a leg – in addition to the other arm and leg they’re probably already getting away with. If our ethos, team environment and service promises speak anything to what you’re looking for in a career and company you’re looking to pursue, then we want to hear from you!

What current vacancies do we have?

We’re always on the look-out for new talent to join our growing team. Think you’ve got something special and want to join us? Please email us at Careers@w-fp.co.uk with a copy of your CV and why you’d like to be a member of the WFP team. Our current job vacancies are kept up to date on this page: https://w-fp.co.uk/jobs/. Right now, we’re on the hunt for a Fire & Security Sales Engineer! In other words, this person will become our in-house installation sales executive who will shape, mould and grow our installations department (for the installations of fire alarms, intruder alarms, CCTV systems, and more!). This is someone who has a history in an engineering or technical role with sales prowess or demonstrated experience in winning business (ideally with commercial/B2B customers). Perhaps you’re an ex-engineer or a technical salesperson who’s been exposed to design and/or jobs requiring project management post-sale. The full job spec and benefits of this role can be found here: https://w-fp.co.uk/jobs/installation-sales-executive/ If you think you’re suitable, please email us at Careers@w-fp.co.uk for the attention of Verity Stone.  

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