How did you get to where you are today?
I joined London Fire Brigade in 1988 as a firefighter at the age of 18. At that time I had no ambition to get promoted, I just wanted to be a firefighter and help people. Gradually this changed, however, and after seven years I decided to apply for my first promotion; I have been continuing to progress through the ranks ever since. When I was promoted to station officer in 2002, I became the highest-ranking woman firefighter in the UK.
Why do you think there is still such a shortage of women in the fire service?
Many don’t consider firefighting as a career for women as it is still a very male-dominated environment. A number of myths about the role of a firefighter still remain. People assume you need to be a big macho man, whereas the reality is that we need a wide range of people with different skills and attributes, so women make great firefighters in this respect.
What can we do to encourage more women to join?
An important starting point is to educate children and young people about the true role of a firefighter and the opportunities available. It’s also vital that we continue to showcase women firefighters as role models because it is much easier for someone to believe that they can do a job if they see somebody like themselves actually doing it. Hopefully this will provide encouragement, inspiration and, most importantly, lead to a shift within the fire service as more women choose it as a career role.
How have things changed since you started your career?
When I joined I was one of only 30 women firefighters out of a workforce of 6,000. We now have over 330 women so we aren’t such a novelty. There used to be some hostility and suspicion towards women firefighters, but we’re now integrated into the workforce. There are also a number of women officers throughout the ranks, which helps to progress change. The role of a firefighter has changed significantly since I joined. We now spend a large amount of our time educating the community to try and prevent fires and reduce incidents. This has resulted in fewer fire calls, but the nature of them has also changed. Our firefighters are now trained to use a range of specialist equipment to respond to road traffic accidents, large-scale flooding, terrorist incidents and a wide range of fire calls.
Do you have any advice for other female leaders working in a very male-dominated environment?
The most important thing is to believe in yourself and not let people undermine you. Women bring a strong skillset to managerial roles and often deal with situations in a different way to their male colleagues, which is hugely valuable.
I’m also passionate about women leaders acting as role models and mentors to other women to help them progress and develop. Through programmes such as the First Women Awards (I was lucky enough to receive the First Women in Public Service Award in 2014 and sat on the judging panel for this year) we can bring like-minded individuals together, drive further change and ensure female leaders are being recognised.
What has been the proudest moment of your career?
Being the first woman to be awarded the Queen’s Fire Service Medal in 2004 has been the proudest moment of my life, without a doubt. To be recognised for the contribution I have made to the fire service for doing what I consider to be the best job in the world and attending Buckingham Palace with my family is something I will always treasure.
