“When I have completed Phase 1 training I am most looking forward to carrying out Safe & Well checks, getting to know my local community more and providing the high risk community members with the support they need.”
Posted: Thursday 3 December 2020, 11:42
I have wanted to join DFRS since a young age, around about the age of 15 I began to look at what I could do to pursue a career within the Service, it was at this point that I found out Nottingham Road station held a cadet session every week. I remember phoning up and then coming along for a session, I attended for about 3 years until I was 18, during this time I got to do lots of exciting things, one of which was going to Germany with the Youth Engagement lead at the time, Rebecca Sims (now a wholetime Firefighters herself in operational training) to represent both the UK and DFRS to deliver a presentation about Drug and Alcohol dependency in young people.
After finishing cadets, throughout my working career I have done several things to improve my chances of being successful within the Service such as being a Fire Marshall at work, completing my IFE* Level 2 in Fire Safety Operations and Science and attending an awareness day hosted by the Services Inclusion team.
A huge role model for me prior to joining the service was Station Manager Mark Straw, at the time when I attended cadets, he was the lead Firefighter and he hosted almost every session. He acted as a great role model to me and the other cadets there at the time. He taught us many skills and was always firm but fair with us, giving us a good taste of what the service is like.
Throughout my training I am most looking forward to the 3 weeks BA training, I know it will be tough but I imagine it will be a thrill to wear the equipment and enter a real fire to emulate a real scenario. I’m also really looking forward to the water rescue part and of course, passing out** at the end!
When I have completed Phase 1 training I am most looking forward to carrying out Safe & Well checks, getting to know my local community more and providing the high risk community members with the support they need. I would also like to help out on one of the cadet schemes if possible, this is something I feel passionate about and would make me proud to go full circle with it.
I think the most challenging part of the job will be turning up to incidents that I may not have had a lot of training on, although I know that the rest of the crew will have a mass of knowledge and experience and will support me throughout my development.
A little but about me, I’m 26 years old, I live in Chaddesden with my partner and our 7 month old daughter. My hobbies are mountain biking, playing Xbox and watching UFC.
*The Institution of Fire Engineers
** Pass out is the term used for the ceremony used to mark the end of a Firefighters initial training course before they progress to the development stage of their career.
