Women in the Fire Service are pleased to announce the launch of our new Women in the Fire Service podcast. Lots of hard work and time has gone into bringing this to life and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with everyone.
The WFS Future Firefighter Podcast Series serves as a way to share the stories of different women in the Fire and Rescue Service with those interested in the emergency services, and equality, diversity and inclusion. And, importantly, to provide tips, advice and inspiration to those thinking about a career as a firefighter.
Demystifying the role of a firefighter
Our Future Firefighter Positive Action Programme, is an online event series, the first of which ran in June 2021. The event was aimed at people of different genders from underrepresented groups, considering careers in the fire service. These recordings have now been transformed into the Future Firefighter Podcast Series.
The very first podcast episode features Sara Hall, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service; Amy Croxton-Evans, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and Bex Sims, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“What a great experience it has been to be part of this virtual event imagined by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue CFO, Alex Johnson. Meeting so many potential firefighters from all over the UK, the positivity and enthusiasm has been truly inspiring. The team of amazing WFS volunteers will be back in the new year to deliver another series of talks to encourage, promote and demystify the role of the modern Firefighter. We hope you enjoy the podcast and we’d love to meet you in our future events.”
Sara Hall, WFS Future Firefighter Event project manager
Sharing stories to inspire diversity
The most recent Government statistics on Workforce Diversity (where collected and stated) revealed that only 7.0 per cent of all firefighters are women, 4.4 per cent are from an ethnic minority and 3.3 per cent identify as lesbian, gay or bi-sexual.
Episode 1, Role of a Firefighter, is available now on our website and the five remaining episodes will follow one per month, until March 2022.
“With podcasts more popular than ever, this was a great opportunity to create something to share with a wider audience. The sound of a human voice is so inspiring and there are some truly great stories to hear from women serving in the fire service. A podcast was the perfect way to share these stories. We hope they inspire others to think about careers in the Fire and Rescue Service.”
Nathalie Holden, WFS Marketing & Communications Officer
Special thanks to contributors: Alex Johnson, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue; Amy Beams, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service; Amy Croxton-Evans, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service; Angie Thorp, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue; Bex Sims, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service; Caz Whiteman, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue; Emily May Williams, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service; Hannah Goodchild, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service; Helen Chadwick, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service; Helena Rooke, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue; Janette Morris, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service; Lauren Jones, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service; Liana Selecka-Jones, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service; Nicola Bottomly, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service; Sara Hall, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service; Tor Strowger, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service.