Profile: Insights into Being a Woman Firefighter

Firefighters are born, not made. Even if they don’t know it initially, the qualities that characterise a firefighter are essential in personality and make-up. It requires mental strength and agility - and a natural concern for other people and the community. Sure, you need special training to become a Firefighter, but if you’ve got the essentials, the Fire Service will provide the training.

Hayley Henderson and Zoe McKinnon knew they wanted to be Firefighters from as early as either of them can remember. In Hayley’s case it could be described as a matter of following in her grandfather’s footsteps. He was a Firefighter in the 1940’s, stationed in the Old Kent Road.

“As far back as my memory stretches, being a Firefighter was my dream. And certainly the role has lived up to all my expectations. It provides the kind of physical and mental challenges that appeal to me.”

For her part, Zoe McKinnon never considered there was anything unusual about wanting to be a Firefighter as a ten-year old girl. “All I knew was I wanted an exciting career path and the Fire Brigade seemed an obvious choice to satisfy what I was looking for.”

Things weren’t that obvious at such an early age for Debbie Young. “When I was growing up I knew I wanted to do something that involved physical activity, but I wasn’t sure what. I thought about maybe becoming a PE Teacher. But then when I was fourteen, I was offered two weeks’ work experience with the Fire Brigade. That settled it. From that moment on, a Firefighter was all I ever wanted to be.”

Obviously, fitness is a central necessity for anyone who wants to become a Firefighter. And a glance through Zoe McKinnon’s background might lead you to think that this wouldn’t be a matter of any concern for her.

“I’d represented Great Britain in hurdles at a Junior European Athletics Competition in Germany. Being fit is one thing, but to make it in the Fire Brigade you also need that desire to succeed.”

Zoe’s opinion is reflected in Lu Mancuso’s respect for the physical demands of the job. “Sport has always been a priority in my life. I got a BA in Sports Science at Nottingham and then an MA in European Leisure Studies. But I still had a healthy respect for what’s required in the Fire Service. I didn’t take anything for granted.”

Debbie Young’s stint working in a Day Centre for Adults with Learning Difficulties demonstrates the kind of natural concern for other people and the community that marks a Firefighter. “It was just after I’d finished ‘A’ levels and I was waiting to join the Fire Brigade. There’s a huge sense of satisfaction in helping others and contributing something to the community.”

Community Fire Safety Awareness is now a major part of the Fire Brigade’s work. Increasingly the emphasis is shifting more to preventing fires rather than fighting them. The Fire Brigade is determined to attract more women and more people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The ultimate aim is to finish up with a workforce that reflects a representative balance of the community across each Fire Station.

If you’d like to consider a career in the London Fire Brigade and would like to find out more about our Recruitment Information days for women, call Dawne Marks on 020 7587 6166 or e-mail dawne.marks@london-fire.gov.uk quoting reference: Get Smaart Girls.