Category: News

We are pleased to announce a reestablished partnership with Women to Work. The partnership will offer a revitalised Women’s Development Programme which will run between 2021-2024. The programme went out to tender in May earlier this year and the formal contract was signed 1st July 2021.

Earlier this year, Chief Fire Officer, Rebecca Bryant, announced her decision to retire in October 2021. This announcement comes after 29 years in the Fire Service. As one of just seven women CFO’s in the UK, Becci is a real trailblazer—and has been breaking down stereotypes along the way. 

In March, The National Fire Chiefs Council praised the dedication of UK Fire and Rescue Service staff carrying out Covid-19 related work. This included supporting the nationwide vaccination programme and the roll-out of asymptomatic testing. Sarah Holden and Jo Dawson are WFS reps for their respective Services. They have both assisted with the Public Health Covid Response.

Women in the Fire Service UK is seeking a like-minded partner to deliver a bespoke Women’s Development Programme. We are pleased to announce that a tender opportunity for skills providers to add further value to our services, is now open for submissions.

We would like to express our thanks to all of our Corporate Members supporting us in 2020 and 2021. New and renewed membership helps us continue to grow and progress our services and activities. And in these unsettling and challenging times of Covid-19, we have adapted the way we work to continue to bring benefits and new services to our valued members and network. In times of crisis, our corporate membership is of paramount importance for a small non-profit organisation like WFS

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held online via Zoom on Tuesday, 30 March at 19:00 (BST). 

To help encourage more people from all walks of life to consider becoming an on-call firefighter, the National Fire Chief’s Council (NFCC) is running an on-call firefighter recruitment campaign from 1st – 7th March 2021. The ‘Need More?’ campaign highlights opportunities and real-life stories via a dedicated on-call website.

Guest post by Alex Johnson

Fleur Lombard was the first woman firefighter to be killed in action in Britain since World War II. When she joined Avon Fire Brigade in November 1993, she was one of only eight women employed by the brigade.

New beginnings

Last year, the world completely changed. The coronavirus altered our plans to hold our 20th National Training and Development Event at the Fire Service College. And as key workers, our organisation and volunteer network was significantly impacted. To that end, we’re happy to announce we will be hosting a series of virtual events this year. Our first event takes place on Tuesday 16 February, 2021.

Our Women in the Fire Service UK Awards 2020 honoured remarkable individuals who have developed, encouraged and reinforced the role of women in the sector. Winners and runners-up in seven categories were selected from over 50 candidates across the UK. Below are their stories, which showcase their work towards equalities advancement, and their passion for community, and team spirit.