Captain Kerry York receives a new set of shirts from Dawn Whittaker

The Wellingborough Ladies Rugby Team will work in the community by supporting a number of fire safety initiatives, including home fire safety checks and the young firefighter’s project.

The team’s presence in the wider community will also promote the service’s work with equality and diversity by helping to reinforce the message that the fire and rescue service is a career opportunity for women.

Cllr Andre Gonzalez de Savage, county council cabinet member for customers and communities said: “This is a marvellous initiative and I’d like to thank the team for agreeing to work with the county council’s fire and rescue service in serving the wider community.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in promoting fire safety messages and I think the ladies will prove to be first-rate ambassadors for the service.”

Mark Ainge, area manager for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is really pleased to have established this partnership with Wellingborough Ladies Rugby Football Club. The club represents women from across the county who work together as a team, which is how we operate within the Fire and Rescue Service.

They are a committed group of physically active women of different ages, backgrounds and professions.  We are excited about the opportunity this gives us to further reach out to our community through the work the team will be supporting.”

“We are looking forward to further embracing the diversity in the county by working with the team.  We hope that our partnership with the team will encourage more women to look to a career as a firefighter.”

Kerry York, captain of Wellingborough Ladies Rugby Team said: “Wellingborough Ladies is honoured to be supported by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue service as part of the three year partnership.

                                    One Career; Many Faces

There is no such thing as a “typical” female fire fighter. Female Fire fighters come from all backgrounds and ethnicities. They may be single, partnered, married, divorced, or widowed. They may be 6’2” and weigh 18 stone, or 5’l” and weigh 8 stone. They may have no children, or be mothers or grandmothers. They may be as young as 18 or as old as 60. They may have a high school education or Ph.D. What this diverse array of female Firefighters has in common is their dedication to their work and their commitment to serving their communities through the fire and rescue service.

Fire fighting is an exciting, ever-changing, highly rewarding occupation. Firefighters enjoy their work because of the warmth of camaraderie among the crew, the challenge of being able to bring physical skills and mental abilities to play in an emergency, and the opportunity to provide critical, life-saving services in a moment of need. Many also appreciate the work schedule, the job security and good pay and benefits.

The Attributes of a Good Firefighter:

     Honest and dependable;
     Physically fit;
     Enjoy being part of a team;
     Respects co-workers and members of the community;
     Communicates and listens well;
     Has a sense of humour;
     Willing to try new things and listen to new ideas;
     Dedicated to her work;
     Self aware;
     Open-minded and flexible;

These attributes have nothing to do with gender, and no one person will possess them all.  Each    firefighter brings individual strengths to the team, and it is this variety of strengths that gives the team multiple options and balances out any individual weaknesses.

                 Working for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) provide emergency fire and rescue cover, fire safety legislation enforcement and community fire safety advice for the residents and visitors of Northamptonshire. We are a county council fire authority.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service employ over 600 staff across the county, each individual being invested in and supported throughout their career with the service.

Helen Durman

Working for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service provides variety, the opportunity to develop new skills, to be part of a dynamic workforce and to further invest in your community.

The Fire and Rescue Service demonstrates great diversity in: the careers available, promotional opportunities, a high standard of employment relations, structured development programmes and provides a balanced work and family lifestyle.

If you are seeking a career which offers excitement, balance, empowerment, progression, value and the opportunity to be invested in as an individual then working for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service is where you need to be.

Helen Durman: Firefighter in Northamptonshire

Firefighting is only one vital part of the service Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service provide. Firefighters also deal with road traffic accidents, air and rail crashes, chemical accidents, animal rescues and many other special service calls involved with the community. Additionally a great emphasis is placed on safety and the reduction of avoidable injuries within the local communities and Firefighters are involved in giving advice and support to members of the public on many different safety issues.

The role of the firefighter has changed almost beyond recognition firefighters are skilled professional workers there is an art, not to mention a science, to firefighting.

Although responding to emergencies is what we are known for, the reality is that we spend a lot of time doing other things.  Which include Community Fire Safety, Training & Development and Station Routines.

Benefits of becoming a Firefighter

There are many benefits of becoming a Fire Fighter and everyone has their own personal reasons for joining the Service. In this section we have tried to sum these up to give you a flavour of how varied and wide reaching these benefits are:

1. Huge variety.
2. A career with genuine prospects for promotion.
3. A job that is well respected by the communities it serves.
4. An active job that keeps you physically fit and healthy.
5. Top quality training in a variety of different skills.
6. Flexible working patterns.
7. A job you can be proud of. Fire Fighters make a difference!
8. An inclusive environment that welcomes people from any faith, ethnic background, gender or sexual orientation.
9. Excellent pension scheme and additional benefits such as private healthcare.

Retained Duty System Firefighter

The role of a Retained Duty System Firefighter (RDS) is the same as that of a Wholetime Duty Firefighter (WDS) with exception of salary and certain conditions of service.

The RDS side of the Fire and Rescue Service is a group of men and women who are 'on call' to respond to a range of emergencies when their alerter sounds. Many RDS Firefighters will have other full or part time occupations, but when the call comes they are ready to drop whatever they are doing and become part of a team.

How do you become a RDS Firefighter?

You need to live or work within five minutes of the RDS Fire Station at which you wish to serve and should be able to respond within five minutes of a call, on foot or by vehicle at normal road speeds.

Each retained firefighter is issued with a pocket alerter, which will activate to alert them when they are required to respond to an emergency call.

The role allows for flexibility. Most services offer several types of retained contract based on different levels of commitment.

If you are interested in a Career with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service pleas contact:

Fire Headquarters: 01604 797000            Northamptonshire County Council: 01604 236236