Oxfordshire’s Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging women to help them put out fires in more ways than one.
The team has 32 operational firefighters who are female, making up just six per cent of the service.
Aside from dealing with crises such as flooding, road accidents, and chemical hazards, they help coordinate emergency planning and educate on safety and prevention for the local community.
They are also mums, shopkeepers, and marathon runners, of all ages and backgrounds.
Rebecca Rimmer, who has been with the fire service for 19 years, said: “You don’t have to be the Incredible Hulk or Lara Croft, I am neither.”
She joined the fire service when she was 21, and now has two children who are very proud to have a ‘firefighter mummy’.
She added: “There is the perception that you have to be very young and fit. There is a required standard to ensure safety, however many female firefighters are mums, they come from all backgrounds and a range of ages.”
Shelley Wright, who is 23 and has been with the fire service for 18 months, said: “When I joined Wantage fire station there hadn’t been a woman there for five years. When the Chief talked to me recently about being the only woman there I had forgotten about that – I am just part of the team”.
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