Episode 11: Alert and Ready: An On-Call Firefighter’s Story

Have you ever been curious about what it’s like to be an on-call firefighter, what the fitness test involves, and how to apply for the position?

With recruitment for on-call firefighters opening soon, we’ve put together a podcast episode featuring a conversation with On-call Firefighter Sue Ward, about the ins and outs of the role.

On-call firefighters are community members who live or work near an on-call fire station and can quickly respond to emergencies by crewing a fire engine - usually arriving at the station within 5 to 8 minutes.

The service employs people from all walks of life in the role, ranging from self-employed tradespeople, stay-at-home parents to employees of small businesses and large, well-known organisations. They are paid for their time and are professionally trained firefighters who work alongside full-time colleagues to respond to a wide range of incidents from road, rail or air crashes, to floods, fires, chemical spills or rescuing people trapped in confined spaces.

Our applications open on Monday 2nd June, and close on Friday 27th June, with training courses beginning in October. If you’re interested in finding out more about on-call firefighting at LFRS and would like to register your interest, please head to our website www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/oncall

And remember if you liked our episode, please like and subscribe and let’s make Lancashire safer together.

Transcript

[00:00:07.100] - Host (Lucinda)
Welcome to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services podcast series, Out of the Ashes: Stories from Lancashire.

[00:00:12.200] - Host (Lucinda)
We'll soon be opening up recruitment for our On Call Firefighters. So in today's episode, we'll be discussing the topic of On Call Firefighters. We'll be finding out what life is like, what the role consists of, understand what is required from the fitness test, and telling you how you can register your interest and where to apply.

[00:00:31.200] - Host (Lucinda)
We'll be talking to On Call Firefighter, Sue Ward, who's based at Darwen Fire Station. How are you today?

[00:00:43.920] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I'm really good, thank you.

[00:00:45.650] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Good. So we're just going to find out about what made you want to become an on-call firefighter?

[00:00:51.730] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
So, this is a dream that I've had since I was a little girl, and I obviously wanted to be a firefighter. So when I left school at 17, I wanted to try and join, but there was a height limit because I'm dead old. So there was a height limit there, which meant that I couldn't even try.

[00:01:15.490] - Host (Lucinda)
Oh my God.

[00:01:16.480] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I know. I couldn't even try. So I was like, no, this is terrible. So I decided that I was going to join the Royal Navy instead because they just opened a female branch for their firefighting branch. So that's what I did. And then I stayed in the Navy for nine years. Absolutely loved it. Was wonderful. And then thought, you know what? I'm going to try again. And this This time, they didn't have the height limit, but they had a test in the fire service that meant that you had to be a certain height to be able to pass the test. And again, unfortunately, it was too small. Damn. So off I went on my career and did my whole fitness career. I went into managing fitness centres, which took me then to Saudi Arabia, which meant that I opened the first ever female fitness centres in Saudi.

[00:02:14.570] - Host (Lucinda)
Wow.

[00:02:15.240] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, which was amazing. I couldn't... It was just... No, that was a dream as well. But then my daughter was 17 at the time, and she wanted to come back to the UK to study. So that's what we did. I gave up my job, came back home.

[00:02:33.000] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
And then suddenly I was scrolling through the Lancashire Fire and Rescue website just to see if there was any update.

[00:02:42.400] - Host (Lucinda)
Check if you could

[00:02:43.460] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
check. And oh, Hey, presto, pops up. I thought, Oh, my goodness. Can I do it? Is it going to be third time looking for me? And so that's what I did. And here I am now at the age of 50. Well, actually, I'm 51 now, I was 50 when I joined. I never thought that was a possible reality for me.

[00:03:07.300] - Host (Lucinda)
So when you couldn't because of your height, what was the height requirement? Because I'm only 5'3, so I'm not very tall either.

[00:03:15.370] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I believe at that time, because it was many, many years ago, I believe at the time, I think it was about 5'4 or 5'6. I'm not sure, but it was obviously taller than me.

[00:03:27.180] - Host (Lucinda)
I wouldn't have made it either.

[00:03:28.370] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Even in high heels And I thought, you know what? I'm not going to be able to carry them hoses in high heels.

[00:03:33.860] - Host (Lucinda)
That'd be a skill. So when you saw the applications were open, how did you feel that you could join?

[00:03:43.010] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I was a bit apprehensive. I was a bit nervous. And then I thought to myself, are they actually going to want me? Because when I first applied, I was 49. And then I thought, they're not going to want somebody who's 49 to join as an on-call firefighter.

[00:03:59.210] - Host (Lucinda)
Well, there's no age requirement. You just have to be over 18. So there's no limits, is there? But I know what you mean. You be apprehensive at any time. Did you have any other concerns about the job?

[00:04:09.520] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah. And then I thought, am I fit enough to be able to do it? Am I strong enough to be able to do it? I looked online and looked at all the fitness tests and thought, You know what? I could probably give this a shot. So that's what I did. Well, first of all, I looked online and thought, Is Darwen five minutes away from the fire station? Am I five minutes away from the fire station?

[00:04:35.880] - Host (Lucinda)
Do you live within the requirement?

[00:04:37.070] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah. And obviously I did.

[00:04:40.290] - Host (Lucinda)
So that was it. Match made in heaven, then.

[00:04:42.730] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yes, definitely.

[00:04:45.250] - Host (Lucinda)
So when we look at how you applied for the role, what tips would you give someone else if they're interested right now? Did you come down to a drill night?

[00:04:54.850] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yes.

[00:04:55.490] - Host (Lucinda)
And would you recommend that to someone else?

[00:04:58.250] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I would definitely recommend that. That got me through, I think, as well. The crew was so supportive, and they gave you everything, all the information that you need. They gave you the help. You were able to practise the drills, practise hose running, things that you're going to need when you get to your course. Online, there's quite a lot of interesting information, especially on the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. This website. It gives you information about the fitness tests, what you have to do to be able to do it, to complete it, should I say. Also, there was a fit to Fit for Fire. Fit for Fire, sorry. So Fit for Fire was a course that enabled you to get ready for the fitness tests. That was so useful, so useful. And I think the main tips I would give to anyone who wanted to join was just be ready, train hard, have the commitment, and just go for it.

[00:06:16.280] - Host (Lucinda)
So you just mentioned Fit for Fire. Shall we go into that a little bit more on how it helped you, like you say, get ready for the role?

[00:06:24.460] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
So it's actually you book it online. You book your spot. It's free to join. It's free for anyone to join. The one I did was at Wesham Fire Station. And it was run by the firefighters there and the trainers. So we had a qualified PTI. And it was just really, really incisive. It give you the insight into what you actually had to achieve for the fitness test.

[00:07:02.180] - Host (Lucinda)
So it was like activities on how to do each part of the fitness test and the application? Yeah.

[00:07:09.090] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
And also they did a little circuit as well. So we did like just to boost your fitness levels.

[00:07:15.350] - Host (Lucinda)
When you got in the service and you successfully applied, how did it fit into your lifestyle, the on-call role? Because obviously it's a very different type of employment. Did you fit into your lifestyle quite easily?

[00:07:30.280] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
It did for me because I'm not working, so I don't have another job. However, most of the people that I work with now as on-call firefighters all have full-time roles. So they all have full-time jobs. They all have children that they sometimes take to school for their partners or wives, husbands. Do you know what? It can fit around everyone's job.

[00:07:57.980] - Host (Lucinda)
It's very adaptable, isn't it? The hours that can do. Yeah.

[00:08:01.350] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
And it's also very flexible as well. So if something comes up or if you need to go somewhere or say you have a small child that needs to go to the doctors or that's off school, it's very, very flexible.

[00:08:17.710] - Host (Lucinda)
So what does your typical on call system look like when are you on duty in a general week?

[00:08:24.090] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
So I'm usually... When I said to my family, Oh, I'm doing something like a 120 hours a week, and they're like, What? How are you doing 120 hours a week? I was like, Well, I'm asleep for most of them. But obviously, you're not. If you get a shout, if you get a call out, then you're not asleep. You have to get up and get out the house as fast as possible, get to the fire station safely. And then you do the task that needs to be done. So my shifts normally last. I normally do from 6 in the evening all the way through the night until around 2 in the afternoon. And then 2 till 6:00, I'll be off. Your time. Yeah, that's my time. That's my horse time. So I go and look after my horse and do any shopping, any jobs that I need to do. Saying that, though, you can do shopping while you're on shift as well, just as long as you're always five minutes away from the fire station.

[00:09:25.120] - Host (Lucinda)

So did you find that strange at first being within the five minute radius, or was it quite easy to pick up?

[00:09:32.540] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
It was a little bit strange. It's like adapting to anything. And then at first I felt like, oh, I need to stay in the house. But actually, realistically, you're better to be closer to the fire station. So obviously in Darwen, it's actually really handy because I can come into Darwen, I can do my shopping and still be literally a minute from the fire station, and I can run to the fire station. I don't have to get in my car if I don't want to. So, yeah, it's about adapting to anything, any situation, isn't it? But I found it a bit difficult at first, but now it's really easy.

[00:10:13.630] - Host (Lucinda)
And how did you find it when your page went off for that first time?

[00:10:17.210] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Your heart goes so fast, so fast, and then you can't get the key in the door quick enough to get out, and then you can't get the key in the door quick enough to lock the door before you get It's like, I'm going to have to get in the car. But then you get in the car and then you think, I've just got to get there, but I've got to get there safely. So obviously, no speeding. Make sure that the roads are clear and you go in. It's really like, what can I say? Nerve-wracking, but exciting at the same time.

[00:10:54.940] - Host (Lucinda)
So, what is your favourite part about being on call?

[00:10:58.590] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I think for For me, being part of such a really amazing team, I've had the support all the way through from even just the application process. The team that I work with here at Darwen and also outside of Darwen are just so wonderful. They're so amazing. If you need anything, they're there. We're all built together as a group. Our ultimate goal is to keep people safe. We're all there together as a team.

[00:11:43.990] - Host (Lucinda)
It sounds like it is a very well-knit family, and I know that from being in the service anyways, I don't think it matters where you are in our fire service. It is a really well-looked after supportive family. Did you find the on-call support officers offered you that support? Because I know that they're available to call from the minute you apply?

[00:12:03.570] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, they're there all the time, and they're there to help you. So yeah, they're there for anything, for anything you need. It can be something as silly as to ask whether the hours are going to fit in or how many hours do I need to do. Also for the fitness, like I said before, the fitness test was so... I'm not going to lie, there are But if you put the work in and you put the effort in, they help you. But also, they're there if you need any extra support. I remember I was struggling with hose running. I rang the officer and said, Is there any way that we can do some extra? I can do some extra training. He said, Yes, no problem. I'll come down to station, meet me there, and we can go through some hose running and give you some extra support. They're also fantastic from start to finish. I have nothing bad to say.

[00:13:08.290] - Host (Lucinda)
For anyone listening, all of our on-call support officer's numbers are on our website. You can find them under which station is your local station, because obviously we've got several across the county. But like you say, you can call them from the minute you apply and all the way through, can't you? And even when you are in the service, you can still give them a bell to check something.

[00:13:28.460] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I remember even when. I remember Even when I passed everything and come through my training, I was struggling to get onto the... Even just to get onto the computer to do all the work that's needed after. And the on-call support came down. He came down, he talked me through everything. He helped me get onto the computer, helped me use my email, and everything was just fantastic.

[00:13:56.020] - Host (Lucinda)
So, what's one common myth that you'd like to squash about the job?

[00:14:01.630] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
I think the main one is, is it going to fit around my life? Because when you look at the application and you look at the job role, it states 40 hours and you think, wow, that's massive, 40 hours. But when you think about it, if you were doing a full-time role, then 40 hours is a lot. It's a lot. It's a full-time job. But then the 40 hours can soon be taken up by 10 hours sleeping. So like I said before, if you get called out, you're not asleep. However, I think doing a service like this and doing a job like this is just dedication. You're there to help people.

[00:14:55.220] - Host (Lucinda)
Yeah. And like you said, the hours that you have to give, it's different for every person, is it? There's no one on your crew that does the same cover as you. It depends. Some people cover from work, some people cover from home. Like you said, you can speak to your on-call support officer to talk about how your hours can fit into the crew.

[00:15:14.630] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, definitely. I would say another myth for me is age as well. You don't have to be a young 20-year-old or a 25-year-old, even into your 30s. Anyone can join. So it is open for anyone. You just have to pass those fitness tests and be able to do the job. And then you're there. You're living the dream as I am at 51.

[00:15:47.530] - Host (Lucinda)
Like you say, age doesn't matter as long as you can pass the fitness test and do the job as you meant to do the job. So another common myth that I would like to go into detail of is that people People think on call, firefighters don't do the same role or job or even attend the same incidents as whole-time firefighters. But you know from your experience that that's not the truth, is it?

[00:16:10.780] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Completely not the truth, no. So we do everything That the whole time, firefighters do everything. Actually, sometimes we can be called at the same time. So us as on call, we can go in unison or even before a whole time can get there because a whole time might be on another job, and then we get called. And so we can be first on the scene.

[00:16:38.750] - Host (Lucinda)
And you've been to various incidents. I know from when we were talking off recording that you've been to several different jobs that anyone could attend because you are a firefighter. Yeah.

[00:16:50.170] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
And you do exactly the same. So you do exactly the same training. You do exactly the same online training also. So same application, same interview, almost.

[00:17:06.650] - Host (Lucinda)
So you just mentioned your training, how was your two-week intense training course, your recruits course? I'm guessing you did it last...

[00:17:16.390] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
December.

[00:17:17.100] - Host (Lucinda)
December, yeah. So how was that?

[00:17:19.820] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Cold. It was snowing at the time. So yeah, it was cold and intense was the word, but Really, it was probably the best thing I've ever done in my life and the hardest thing I've ever done in my life as well. Apart from, actually, no. I think my breathing apparatus course was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. But the instructors there are absolutely wonderful. They want you to get through. They want you to pass. They want you to succeed. They will give you extra training if you need it. I I just found it just so brilliant, but horrible in another sense as such, because it was so difficult.

[00:18:10.350] - Host (Lucinda)
I also have spoken to other people. I don't think there's any right time of doing it because other people have said the exact same about it being in hot, intense summer weather, but then also the same in the cold. I guess it just prepares you for the outside world when you are going to jobs and you can't predict the weather or control it.

[00:18:26.190] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, definitely. My breathing apparatus course, that was quite warm when I did that. So, yeah, there is definitely no right time to do.

[00:18:36.730] - Host (Lucinda)
And I guess that was like real life training.

[00:18:39.800] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah. Sweating your head off in freak weather. Because obviously, the UK, we don't get weather like abroad. But, yeah, I think it's all six and two threes, isn't it?

[00:18:58.960] - Host (Lucinda)
So how How did you feel at your passing out parade? Once you'd done your two weeks of intense training, you knew you were getting to the end. How was that whole ceremony? It's a very special moment, isn't it?

[00:19:10.880] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, it's a really special moment. You just feel so... I think I felt so lucky to be given the opportunity and to be given the chance to actually do this. But also I'd worked so hard. It feels like you can breathe. You're like, Oh, I've actually done it now.

[00:19:34.650] - Host (Lucinda)
So proud of yourself.

[00:19:35.890] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah. You are. And it's actually quite an emotional time because you worked so hard and you've achieved it, you've done it. But then the real work starts when you get to station. So that doesn't last very long.

[00:19:52.390] - Host (Lucinda)
I'm guessing it's a nice feeling when you're there, feeling very euphoric and very proud. And then you know you're going out to look after your community. So I guess it is that sense of proud continues even through the hard work. Yeah.

[00:20:04.130] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
And your family get to come as well, which is wonderful. And they get to be there and see you get your awards. It's just wonderful.

[00:20:16.590] - Host (Lucinda)
So when this episode goes out, it will be moments away from the applications opening for the next round. So at the moment, you can register your interest online and then apply, can't you? So would you say it's the best? You said it's the best thing you've ever done.

[00:20:32.990] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Yeah, it's the best thing and the most rewarding thing that I've ever done. Sometimes you can't put it into words how wonderful of a feeling it is. It's also the most scary as well. When you know that you're going to go to a shower and you know that you could be potentially saving lives, then it is a little bit more... Obviously, it's scary. But I just feel that it's something that if you have the passion and you have the dream, should I say, like I did, then you just need to go for it.

[00:21:09.990] - Host (Lucinda)
We'll finish up now, but what is the biggest takeaway you want the listeners to take from this episode, from your story?

[00:21:19.620] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
For me, it was a dream. A dream that I never thought was actually going to become real. At 50 years old, well, at 49, when I was applying, that was never in my brain that I was ever going to achieve this. Here I am now at 51, living the dream. This is my dream. I think the only thing I can say is that for everyone out there who does have the dream, who does have the commitment, then go for it. Just do it. Apply now. It's absolutely the best job. And I've had a few. But it is the best job that I've ever done.

[00:22:08.260] - Host (Lucinda)
Well, I can't say any better than you did. You need to go for it, follow your dream, and register interest, and apply when applications open. Yeah, definitely. Thank you very much for taking the time today to share your story, and then hopefully inspire others.

[00:22:22.340] - On-call Firefighter: Sue
Thank you.

[00:22:23.820] - Host (Lucinda)
If you're interested in finding out more about On Call Firefighting at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, all you'd like to register your interest, please head over to our website on www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/oncall.

[00:22:39.840] - Host (Lucinda)
We will put the link in the episode notes below.

[00:22:42.730] - Host (Lucinda)
And remember, if you liked our episodes, please like and subscribe, and let's make Lancashire safer together.