Women urged to join firefighters
A 22-YEAR-OLD female firefighter is urging other women not to have any fears about joining the service.
Meghan Ratcliffe is an on-call firefighter at the station in Ashby and is loving the job, despite admitting she had her reservations about being the only woman on the team.
It comes as Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is recruiting on-call members of their fire crews around the county.
Meghan was curious about becoming a firefighter after a year working in the control room for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and took up her new part-time role last year. She says people should not think of being a firefighter as a job for men only.
She said: “Working in the control room I got to see one side to the operation – taking calls, giving safety advice and working alongside firefighters – but I decided that I wanted to experience the other side of things, to get involved and make a real difference in my community.
“Becoming an on-call firefighter is one of the best decisions I made. I was apprehensive at first but I just went for it and now I never look back.”
She enjoys being one of the team members and feeling the support of her colleagues at the Ashby station in Wilfred Place.
She said: “Every day and every incident you respond to is different. I find it very exciting. What I love most about the job is feeling like I’m part of a team, like I’m a part of something special and the work I’m doing is making a difference to people’s lives.”
Meghan said discovering she would be the only female firefighter at the station made her apprehensive to start with.
She said: “I remember thinking to myself, ‘I’m young and a woman – how will I fit in?’ Looking back, I couldn’t have been more wrong. We don’t see gender – we just see each other as colleagues. I fitted straight in and I’ve never felt different or out of place here. We’re just like a family and that’s what matters.”
When asked what advice she would give to aspiring female firefighters, Meghan said: “Just go for it. It’s always going to be scary to start with and you might feel like you can’t do it, but you can. If you’re hardworking and dedicated, you’ll do well.
“No-one lets you fall behind in the fire service. If you can’t get the hang of something, you just ask for help and keep trying and eventually you’ll get there.”
Day to day, Meghan still works in the control room for Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and her on-call duties with Leicestershire mean she is always busy, whether answering calls or fighting fires.
She said: “I’m so proud of myself for all I’ve accomplished since becoming an on-call firefighter, especially knowing I’m now paving the way for strong, driven women just like me.
“Sure, it’s been hard at times, but I wouldn’t change this experience for the world – it’s made me who I am today.”
The Leicestershire service is currently recruiting on-call firefighters and the closing date for applications is today, so get yours in quick. Go to https://careers.leics-fire.gov.uk/job/ On_call_firefighter/102042.
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