Ever wondered what a fire fighter actually does, besides putting out fires of course. This is your chance to find out…
we interviewed Lisa Hicks, Crew Manager, London Fire Brigade and this is what she had to say:
How long have you been doing your job?
I’ve been a Crew Manager for 14 months but I’ve been in the London Fire Brigade for just over 4 years. It’s been a steep learning curve from the start, but thoroughly enjoyable.
After the initial 16 week training course I got my first post and worked with a great Watch who looked after me and gave me an excellent grounding in my new career. They were incredibly supportive and after my probationary year encouraged me to transfer to a busier station in order to gain some more experience. At my next station I became a qualified driver; driving the fire engines on an emergency call is a great buzz!
About 2 years ago they launched a pilot ‘targeted development scheme’. This is to identify individuals with potential and support them through a targeted promotional development to middle management level. After a rigorous assessment process, I was successful, along with 16 others. My first promotion happened shortly afterwards, and I was posted to my current job as a Crew Manager (ensuring the safety of crew for one engine). The next imminent promotion is to Watch Manager (ensuring safety for all crews on a Watch).
What is a typical shift for you?
There is no such thing! …one reason why I love my job. The shift is completely determined by the emergency calls which we call ‘shouts’. Shouts range from fires to car accidents, from people stuck in lifts to floodings. Aside from shouts there are set working patterns and routines which are always followed. These include checks on every piece of equipment carried on our fire engines every time we come on duty. This equipment can be life saving so the checks are essential.
We also carry out free Home Fire Safety Checks; visiting people’s homes and giving them specific fire safety advice for their needs and fit smoke alarms – also for free - should they need them.
Our checks aren’t restricted to homes, we also inspect pubs, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, making sure they aren’t contravening their fire certificates, and that everything and everyone is safe.
For me, it’s the variety that makes my job so interesting; I never know exactly what is going to happen the next day (or night!).
What do you like most about your job?
There’s so much I love about my job; it’s difficult to find one thing specifically. However the best feeling comes when I know that I have made a positive difference to someone’s life. I’m lucky that I’ve been given the training and knowledge to make that difference when people need it most.
Shift work is also one of the things that attracted me to the job. It’s flexible enough for me to be able to spend quality time with my friends and family as well as working full time. I have a good work life balance.
If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?
This is a very difficult question, mainly because the London Fire Brigade is currently undergoing a rapid period of modernisation, so many things are changing. For example, the London Fire Brigade is traditionally a white male establishment; as of July 2007 only 2.4% of operational staff within the LFB were women. However this is gradually changing. The development scheme I’m on is part of this change. Its aim was to try and establish more diversity at middle management level, in order to reflect the community we serve. A mis-comprehension by many is that the scheme was only for women and people from ethnic minority groups; however this is wrong as diversity means more than that. The scheme is meant to reflect the community we serve and so many of the candidates are in fact white males.
Many thanks to Lisa Hicks, Crew Manager, London Fire Brigade
