Work–horse balance The fireman with an 80-hour contract
How I make it work: managing an 80-hour on-call contract by eating on the go and having top-notch organisational skills
Ben Leathers BHSI is a part-time firefighter at his local station in Partridge Green, West Sussex. He is also a professional riding coach, trainer and event rider based at Homelands Equestrian, a livery and competition training yard. My jobs…
I event up to one-star level and run a livery, competition and training yard alongside my wife Jo, son Joshua and a great team of staff. We have horses in to train and compete, as well as riding and competing my own horses and looking after horses on livery. On top of the yard and eventing, I’m also on call 80 hours a week with the fire service. I’m on call usually from 1pm in the afternoon until 5am in the morning. I have an alerter (pager) on me, so if I get a call, I have to drop everything and run down to the station, jump in the truck and drive to wherever we’re going. I’m one of the drivers of the truck and we can be called out to anything from road traffic collisions to smoke alarms that have gone off. You never know what you are going to be called out to, which makes it exciting.
Fitting it all in…
I can move my shifts around, so as long as I comply to the 80-hour-a-week contract, I can shuffle that around. I tend to have a morning or an afternoon off, so I can get riding done. It’s a lot of juggling around, but you get into a system. I’ve been doing it for seven years now and you get used to it. It doesn’t really interfere with my day job, but it can disrupt my sleep. It’s two alternative universes. One minute I’m flying around the lanes in the fire engine and then I’m back in the horsebox having to remember to drive slowly with the horses in the back.
How I got into fire-fighting…
I’m Australian and in Australia you spend time helping out at your local fire brigade so that you know how to protect the environment during fires. I moved to the UK in 1985 and, after travelling around a lot, I decided to settle here. I wanted to be a part of the community and give something back, so I decided to join the fire brigade.
My typical day…
I go off call at 5am. If I’m at home and in bed, that’s when my alarm goes off. I head to the gym for an hour and get back at 7am. I then feed or catch the horses and bring them in before doing the school run. I come back and ride two or three horses, and then
“You never know what you are going to be called out to, which makes it exciting”
teach in the afternoon or vice versa. Then it’s back to the school run later that afternoon. There are always jobs that need doing on the yard if there’s any spare time, such as paddocks that need topping, hay that needs moving, courses that need building for clear-round jumping and staff training. Evening-wise, I spend time at the fire station or at home doing office work between 6pm and 8pm, and then try to sit down and relax for a couple of hours before bed.
Finding time to eat…
I eat granola and a smoothie for breakfast and lunch is usually a sandwich, which I grab from home and eat on the go. My dinner is usually something heated up in the microwave. I like to cook when I get the chance, but because my son needs to eat at regular times, my wife will generally do the cooking. Fresh meat and vegetables or salads is our staple diet. Because of the busy lifestyle, it’s important that you are eating something good for you.
The best part of my jobs…
I love the busy life that comes with having horses and going away to events. Being able to ride every day is great. I don’t mind the fact that I start at 5am and go through until 10pm, because it means I have the privilege of having it all on my doorstep. I love the excitement of the fire brigade and turning up somewhere not knowing what’s going to be there. It’s also great being able to help people.
And the worst parts…
The worst part of eventing was breaking my shoulder mid-season. I came off and had 10 broken ribs, a broken shoulder and a punctured lung, but I was back competing eight weeks later. I had to because I’d qualified for the novice championships at the Festival of British Eventing (Gatcombe), which was my inspiration to get fit again. The worst part about being in the fire brigade is getting a call, rushing down and getting in the truck and then being stood down. It’s great in a way, because the problem has been solved, but you’re all pumped up and ready and the adrenaline is flying. Then you have to sit down and try to wind down.
Switching off…
I like watching movies to switch off, but I never get past the first 20 minutes before falling asleep. I am the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to the first 20 minutes of a film. Downtime can be taking my son out for a ride on his pony and doing country pursuits. I try to go mountain biking three or four times a week too.
NEXT MONTH The London-based chef with two children and a super-early alarm call.