Fighting more than fires
While life as a career firefighter in Timaru’s Washdyke Station might lack the drama played out on our television screens, it’s not just about fighting fires for Donna Lindsay. Drawn to the teamwork, physical fitness and variety, few jobs are more rewarding.
Donna Lindsay is a career firefighter for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), formally known as the Fire Service, the organisation that employs some
1700 career firefighters nationwide and more than 11,000 volunteers. She is based at the Washdyke Station, one of two fire stations in Timaru, manned 24/7. They attend more than 2500 callouts on average each year.
Originally from Invercargill, Donna didn’t grow up knowing she wanted to be a firefighter. After finishing high school, she initially enrolled at the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) to study sport and recreation. As part of her studies, she did a research project on the fitness of firefighters, introducing her to life behind fire station doors. Inspired, Donna changed tack and signed up as a new recruit at age 23. ‘They seemed like a pretty cool crew,’ says Donna. ‘I’d never thought about it before then. It was just something that some people did.’
Nationwide, firefighting remains a male-dominated field, with female representation struggling to escape single digits. Today, females make up only 16 per cent of volunteer firefighters, and less than four per cent of career firefighters. There’s been a strong push recently to encourage more female recruits, but progress is slow.
Donna didn’t let that put her off. She never gave her gender a second thought when she enrolled. ‘I was pretty naive, to be honest. I never realised that I would be in such a minority.’ After she’d passed the robust recruitment process, she was surprised to learn she was one of five females on the
physically demanding 12-week live-in basic training course in Rotorua. ‘We were a bit of a novelty. The course was hugely challenging but incredibly rewarding.’
After her training, Donna secured a permanent position in one of Christchurch’s seven busy metro stations, where she stayed for the next 12 years, before moving to Timaru almost five years ago in search of a quieter pace while her children are growing up.
At the start of her career Donna admits she felt a need to prove herself, but once she had, everything else became a non-issue. Now she is just another respected member of the team. ‘The important thing is getting the job done. In the past, most women have kept a low profile, but now we want to show that we can do it. We want to see more women giving it a go,’ says Donna.
In reality though, ‘firefighter’ is more a title than a daily task. The role has changed dramatically; it is no longer just about fighting fires. ‘People think that’s all we do, but there is much more to it,’ says Donna. ‘We are known for fighting fires, but that’s only a small part of it these days. We also attend motor vehicle accidents, hazardous chemical spills, medical emergencies, workplace accidents, help with search and rescue and civil defence. It’s very broad, and the work is varied.’
Timaru’s firetrucks are ‘co-responders’ meaning the staff have the same qualifications as some ambulance drivers. It’s part of their job to attend cardiac arrests, or ‘purple’ calls as back-up for ambulance staff just for manpower. They also back up volunteer crews where needed. But although they spend less time fighting fires, constant training ensures they’re ready to respond within minutes of the siren sounding.
She says the unpredictable nature of the emergency services is part of the appeal. No two days are ever the same. ‘We come to work and we don’t know what’s going to happen and don’t know what you are going to be doing. We don’t just sit around waiting for something to happen. There is always something to be done.’
When they are not on a callout, the crew are kept busy tidying around the firehouse, doing everything from washing dishes and cleaning the toilets, to official checks of appliances to make sure all the equipment is working fully and nothing is missing after fire callouts. There is also ongoing training, familiarising themselves with the community and buildings,
Donna says the unpredictable nature of the emergency services is part of the appeal. No two days are ever the same.
or they are out visiting schools and kindergartens.
Firefighters are also well respected in the community. It has that element of service and allows them an opportunity to give back to their community. ‘When we arrive everyone is happy to see us; they look up to us. That’s a pretty cool feeling,’ she smiles.
Perhaps the biggest drawcard though is working within such a tight-knit team, Donna says. ‘Each shift is like a little family. It becomes like your second home. There is a lot of banter thrown about. We know each other scarily well, and do things together even when we are not working. The people are what makes this job so fun and interesting. There have been times, when if I hadn’t had the support of close friends and colleagues, then I don’t think I’d still be here.’
Some days are easier than others though. Although rare, those ‘bad’ calls can linger long after the job is done. Donna was in Christchurch at the time of the February earthquake but was on maternity leave. ‘I was quite glad that I wasn’t there to experience that, to be honest. We see enough.’
Many years on, she still finds it hard to talk about a 2007 callout where two 16-year-olds tragically lost their lives and many more were injured when a car ploughed at speed into drunken partygoers on Edgeware Road in Christchurch. ‘It was the scene of absolute chaos. It was horrific. We were just trying to be the calm amongst the storm. There were so many people injured and it was hard to tell who was injured and who wasn’t, amongst all the partygoers.’
For Donna, any job where any emotion is involved is much harder, and as a mother of three boys herself, callouts involving children really hit home. ‘When you have a job to do, that keeps you going and it’s easy to stay focused, but as soon as it’s over, it does hit you.’
While Donna’s friends and family are proud of her career choice, it can be difficult to talk to them about the scarier aspects of the job. She tends to spare them the details. It’s hard for them to understand what it’s really like, she says.
Being able to talk amongst her fellow firefighters is of great comfort. After every major call, they always have a debrief. Like other emergency services, firefighters often resort to black humour to get over the hardest incidents which may seem insensitive to the public, but it’s part of their coping mechanism. They also have access to a huge support network through FENZ, including counsellors. ‘We are very lucky in that respect,’ explains Donna.
While she has been through her ups and downs on the job, Donna struggles to think of something else she would rather be doing and is quick to encourage people to take that next step. If you can think on your feet, are driven to succeed, are a people person and have a fit, healthy lifestyle, then firefighting might be the career for you. ‘It’s a bit of a process getting through the recruitment process though,’ she warns, but don’t let that put you off if it’s what you really want to do. ‘It takes a good year. It’s something you have to work towards. They like you to have had a bit of life experience and then come back and settle into firefighting as a career. Most people don’t get accepted the first time round; it’s pretty standard.’
While the physical testing puts a lot of women off, in real terms, they are probably failing at the same rate as male recruits. The physical tests are the same for men and women, and they have to be, explains Donna.
‘In the heat of the moment, you are just a helmet, just a firefighter. You have to have similar capabilities. You have to be able to do the job. The aim is all firefighters should be able to do every part of the job. At the end of the day, we are all human. We can all take hugs and we can all give hugs.’
Donna hopes more women and young girls will see firefighting as a viable career choice in the future.
‘If you can think on your feet, are driven to succeed, are a people person and have a fit, healthy lifestyle, then firefighting might be the career for you.’