Tom has been a Firefighter at HWFRS for three years. He first joined Droitwich Fire Station and spent a year and a half there before transferring to Wyre Forest Fire Station.
Before joining the Fire Service Tom spent five years in the Royal Navy working as a Marine engineer on submarines. This is where Tom found his passion for firefighting as staff on the submarine were required to be trained in firefighting. Tom soon discovered that he enjoyed the firefighting aspect of his role in the Navy more than his engineering role. He decided that his passion was in working with and helping people, rather than focussing on the cold, mechanical elements of engineering. Tom decided to move into a career that directly helped people as he found that to be more fulfilling.
“I wanted a job that helped people as I figured it would make me feel more fulfilled. I was right.”
Tom uses a lot of his skills from the Navy and applies them to his role as a Firefighter. He is also familiar with working under pressure in a stressful environment and recognises how crucial strong teamworking skills are in these situations.
“Having an engineering background is very useful when it comes to figuring out how to take things apart and fix them. It has provided me with great problem solving and critical thinking skills which I use in my role daily. Being part of the Navy has helped me work together in a team in a stressful environment. You get a very similar sense of camaraderie in both the Fire Service and the Navy.”
Tom found his training at the Fire Service College was great. They provided him with the skills and experience to take into his new role as a Firefighter.
“The facilities are really good. They can simulate lots of different scenarios and they use real fire. All the instructors are ex-career Firefighters so they have a lot of knowledge and experience to pass on.”
In his free time Tom likes to weightlift, run, and play badminton. He finds the work-life balance suits his life very well. Tom has previously worked 4 x 12 hour days when he was based at Droitwich Fire Station which meant he didn’t work any night shifts. He currently works at Wyre Forest Fire Station on day and night shifts.
“The flexibility is brilliant; it really suits my lifestyle.”
Tom’s Royal Navy Background
Find out about Tom’s background as an engineer in the Royal Navy.