Louise Dempsey - Station Manager On-Call Business Change

I joined Derbyshire Fire and Rescue in 2008 after trying to become a firefighter for three years. As soon as I started my recruits course, I realised getting in was the easy bit! I didn't expect that the course would be so challenging both technically and physically, however it was one of the best parts of my career and the teamwork needed and the camaraderie we had helped to create bonds that I still have 16 years later.  

Moving on to station, finding females who had walked the path before me was difficult. Because of this, I am grateful to the Service for allowing me to build relationships outside of Derbyshire, supporting me through experiences such as ‘Women in the Fire Service’ training weekends, UK Rescue Organisation competitions (regionally, nationally and internationally), playing for the netball team and sailing in the UK annual sailing challenge. 

When I started it was easy to name all the operational females in the service, I think we numbered less than 20 and made up about 3% of the workforce. Now we number close to 100, about 13%. We have a long way to go but it's nice to bump into other females and not automatically know who they are. 

I was asked as part of this ‘What can be done to break down barriers and encourage women to join the Fire Service.’ The answer lies in the 13%. As females we must be part of giving the Service the direction it needs. The better the conditions we create, the greater the number of females who want to be part of it. The path still isn't particularly well-walked, but the imprints are starting to show.