International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality. We've brought together stories from around the Service to put a spotlight on the amazing work women are carrying out in all roles.
An Interview with Steffi, On-call firefighter & Prevention Officer
How long have you worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)?
I passed my initial training as an On-call Firefighter in November 2018 & began working in the Prevention Department in September 2020.
What made you apply for a role with SFRS?
I wanted to work in a place that allowed me to give back to the community & help other people. I also enjoy a challenge, as a firefighter we face new challenges all the time.
Are people surprised when they find out you work for the fire service?
Definitely, I’m fairly small & am quite girly outside of work so when I tell people I’m a firefighter it certainly takes them by surprise!
Can you describe your career journey with SFRS to date?
I’m approaching the end of my on-call firefighter development program; the program aims to build on the skills I learned on my initial training course, it includes working with my crew in training & at incidents. Once I’ve completed this I will be a deemed a competent firefighter.
Alongside my on-call role, I assisted the Prevention Team at every opportunity delivering school talks, Safe & Well visits in people's homes and assisting with ‘Crucial Crew’ which was a fantastic opportunity to provide young people with essential life skills at a crucial stage of their development.
In September 2020, I was successful in my application to become a Prevention Officer & I’m thoroughly enjoying this role.
What does a typical day / week look like in your role?
I work Monday to Friday in the Prevention Team, I’m still getting used to having weekends off - a luxury I’ve not had before, its great! I give 85 hours on-call cover a week, this means at any moment my pager could alert me & I would stop what I’m doing and head to the station ready to assist with whatever incident awaits us.
What has been your biggest challenge at work to date?
The recruitment process isn’t easy, I struggled with confidence at the start. The support from my crew & across the service has been fantastic, there is always someone to turn to & ask for advice. Knowing this support is there for me, has helped me to develop my confidence & really grow as a person.
What do you most enjoy about working for SFRS?
I enjoy finding ways to deal with the challenges we’re faced with, learning new skills, helping my community, being part of such a big supportive team & the comradery that brings.
What would be your advice to other women considering a career with SFRS?
Do it! (I would love to see more women join the on-call crew!) You’re not expected to be anything but yourself, there is so much support to help & guide you, from the early stages and as you progress throughout your career.
An Interview with Alice, On-call Firefighter
How long have you worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)?
3.5 years.
What made you apply for a role with SFRS?
My main job is Duty Manager in a leisure centre, I’m also an ice hockey referee, I felt I could accommodate being an On-call Firefighter with my other roles and it was something I wanted to pursue because I wanted to do something useful & rewarding with my time. It’s great to work as part of a team & help people in our local community.
Are people surprised when they find out you work for the fire service?
Not really, nothing I do seems to surprise my friends and family anymore!
What does a typical week look like in your role?
As an on-call firefighter I give 84 hours on-call cover per week & attend a drill night each week. Over the course of a month I attend various incidents, these can include water rescues, flooding, house fires, automatic fire alarm activations, road traffic collisions, animal rescues & much more. If I'm paged I have 5 minutes to drop what I'm doing and get to the fire station.
For the past year I’ve been furloughed from the leisure centre, this has allowed me to help in other areas within the fire service, particularly in a COVID-19 support role. I’ve been doing Lateral Flow Tests on fire fighters, supporting people & vehicle management at the mass vaccination centres, and I’m now trained as a vaccinator.
What would be your advice to other women considering a career with SFRS?
My advice to anybody considering a career in SFRS is to give it a go, it’s a very rewarding job, you get to work as team to help people in all sorts of situations & meet people from all different walks of life.
If working as a firefighter is something you’re considering watch out for our ‘taster days’ - they’re a great opportunity to find out more, come along – you never know where it might lead!
An Interview with Becky, Prevention Team Leader
How long have you worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)?
6 years.
What made you apply for a role with SFRS?
I’ve always enjoyed jobs that meant I was helping people in my community & find great satisfaction in knowing I’m making a difference to others. The fire service has such a brilliant reputation for looking after their employees, I was excited to join.
Are people surprised when they find out you work for the fire service?
Yes! Especially as it isn’t always understood that there are different roles, besides being a firefighter..
Can you describe your career journey with SFRS to date?
My first role was Prevention Officer for vulnerable groups within the Prevention Team. This involved visiting people in the community to deliver talks, attending multiagency meetings, & supporting fire safety campaigns. I carried out this role for 4 years & absolutely loved it. Alongside, I was also an iLearn advisor & coordinator, which involved delivering fire safety education to children & young people who’ve set fires.
In 2019, I moved to the Protection Team & took on the role of Inspecting Officer. This role involved enforcing the fire safety order by auditing business premises & supporting them to be compliant, using education seminars & campaigns. During this time, I achieved my level 4 certificate in Fire Safety.
In 2020, I was successful in my application for the role of Team Leader within the Prevention Team. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic & the changes that has brought about, I’m grateful to have this opportunity & thoroughly enjoy the management role.
What does a typical week look like in your role?
No two weeks are the same! Generally, I meet with the other members of the Prevention Team (virtually at the moment) for a quick catch up, this leads to meetings with individual team members or smaller groups to consider how I can support them in their work. I have meetings with partner agencies & other departments within the service to consider various subjects & we continually review how we can improve the service we provide to our communities. The job is so varied, that is what keeps it interesting.
What has been your biggest challenge at work to date?
The amount of change 2020 held! Starting a new role & being required to carry out my duties almost entirely remotely has been hard, particularly as we’re a team of people that thrive on contact with each other & our communities. It’s been a steep learning curve, but we’re a team that pulls together, we’ve made it work.
What do you most enjoy about working for SFRS?
Every day is a new challenge, there’s always more to learn. The training & development of staff is well supported by the service, it makes me feel valued as an employee. The departments I’ve worked in are very different in their work, however both have been so supportive & caring, it’s a pleasure to work within them, I feel like I belong to a ‘fire service family’.
What would be your advice to other women considering a career with SFRS?
Go for it! I feel that women are treated equally within the fire service, it’s a fantastic place to work, where you & your work are valued & supported.
An Interview with Mia, Watch Manager – Fire Safety Inspecting Officer
How long have you worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)?
18 years
What made you apply for a role with SFRS?
When I was around 9, one of my neighbour’s had a fire, which I saw & called 999. When the fire service arrived, I felt certain that's what I wanted to do. As I got older, I started to think women couldn’t be firefighters, I didn’t really know any women who were. As luck would have it, I bumped into the Station Manager of Bridgnorth when I was in my early 20's, he was the same man who spoke to me at my neighbour's house fire, he remembered me as a little girl & asked if I wanted to join!
Are people surprised when they find out you work for the fire service?
Yes, I've had a few funny reactions. People like to ask if I really can carry someone out of a burning building! A lot of people have said, "Wow, what a great job that must be". Over the years I’ve noticed members of the public sometimes still use the word ‘fireman’ but as more & more women join, the quicker this is changing.
Can you describe your career journey with SFRS to date?
In a word, AMAZING! I loved every second of my on-call firefighter training, I still look back and feel proud & lucky. The first time I wore breathing apparatus, watching the fire develop & spread was mesmerizing.
I’ve had a few bumps & bruises along the way, but all have been fantastic learning curves or opportunities. The support that is provided, along with skills you learn from the instructors, gave me the confidence to deal with real incidents.
I spent a number of years working within the Prevention Team where I was able to interact with members of the public to educate and inform. It was in this role I was able to overcome my fear of speaking in public.
I transferred to West Midlands Fire Service to gain experience in a MET Brigade & was there for several years. Whilst there I developed my skills as a Trauma Instructor, became a Watch Manager & served as a Fire Safety Inspecting Officer. Alongside, I continued to support SFRS as a Trauma and Basic Life Support (BLS) & Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Instructor.
Last year the opportunity arose to apply for the role I do now within the Protection Team, I was successful & am thoroughly enjoying being back in Shropshire.
What does a typical week look like in your role?
My role is varied, flexible & never dull! I typically meet with business owners to inspect premises, ensuring they are compliant & are keeping people safe when they are within the buildings where they work. When things go wrong and the Responsible Person has not, or will not comply, and people may be at risk of death or serious injury from fire, we gather evidence which can lead to prosecution.
I’m also involved in developing a training package for operational crews to up-skill them in Fire Safety matters & the support available should they find issues.
Another part of my role is to provide Out of Hours Cover in relation to Fire Safety. I also teach & assess firefighters on First Response Emergency Care, BLS and use of AED.
What has been your biggest challenge at work to date?
Initially it was recognising that to become a firefighter, I needed to build my upper body strength, at the time I was working around three jobs & two children under 3, it was a huge challenge..but I did it!
A more recent challenge has come about now that I’m doing more desk related work - I have dyslexia. SFRS are extremely supportive, their approach to getting me the support I need, along with their understanding of dyslexia, makes my working life much easier.
What do you most enjoy about working for SFRS?
I love that I’m a person, not just a number. I work with a great supportive team, where I feel I have a voice & am listened to. I love the opportunities & potential for personal growth the service provides.
What would be your advice to other women considering a career with SFRS?
Do it! I can put my hand on my heart & say, for me, it is the best job ever! As a woman, I’ve always been given the same opportunities & support as others. SFRS really make the effort to include all employees, I feel extremely proud to be part of the service.
An Interview with Maxine, Service Support Team Supervisor
How long have you worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS)?
Almost 17 years
What made you apply for a role with SFRS?
I applied for the post as it was close to home, I’d previously worked for local government so was familiar with the type of working environment.
Are people surprised when they find out you work for the fire service?
Yes, they automatically think I’m a firefighter or a Control Room Operator. People are not always aware of the variety of support roles within the service.
Can you describe your career journey with SFRS to date?
I joined as a part-time Admin Support Officer, working for one department. Now the Admin team looks after all departments. In 2012 I applied for the role of Service Support Team Supervisor, after successful tests & an interview, I was promoted to my current role.
What does a typical day look like in your role?
As a service which responds to events, work is very varied for my team. Our normal activities include manning Reception, sorting/delivering post, answering internal & external phone calls and dealing with many different requests that may arise following incidents. We need to be prepared for plans to change in order to deal with evolving situations.
What has been your biggest challenge at work to date?
I challenge myself to ensure all members of the team are fully supported in order to deliver the service expected of us.
In all walks of life, people have challenges from time-to-time. SFRS are a supportive employer, they have enabled me to develop my understanding & knowledge of mental health & I am now a fully trained mental health first aider.
I have also recently put myself forward as a ‘Voices Rep’ - the newly formed group aims to provide a voice to under-represented groups within the service.
What do you most enjoy about working for SFRS?
The people I work alongside are the most enjoyable part for me, together with satisfaction that we have supported our colleagues to produce work to a high quality & within agreed timescales.
For more information about International Women's Day 2021 head to their website
