Leaving corporate life behind after leaving a large PLC, Steve made the decision to reinvent himself at the age of 47, setting up a business and working from home as an environmental and safety consultant.
Joining the Fire and Rescue Service as an On-Call firefighter has enabled Steve to learn new skills, work with the community, and demonstrate to his children that it’s never too late to follow a change of career. Having joined HWFRS two and a half years ago, he is very close to being a competent firefighter, which follows the development firefighter stage.
“It is very humbling in some ways, with young development firefighters showing me how things are done, but then a good team is made up of different people and skill sets, I live two minutes away, so I am often the first to arrive when my alerter goes off.”
Steve juggles day-to-day work with his On-Call role, with the second half of the week dedicated to corporate clients and national travel, leaving the first half of the week to offer On-Call cover. Clients of his business tend to be very understanding with this. Steve’s partner is very supportive, even when the alerter goes off at 2am!
Working as an On-Call firefighter has made Steve fitter and has improved his mental health, as this role has allowed him to address his work life balance and finally work much closer to home.
If you’re thinking of joining the Fire and Rescue Service Steve suggests going along to an awareness session to have a go, or popping into a Tuesday drill night for a chat.
“You’ll be surprised that you’re likely to be very capable of most things and if some areas are trickier for you, you can quickly improve with learned techniques. You may be at the edge of your comfort zone sometimes, working at height or in a confined space, but will always be in a supportive environment. The training is superb.”
