In May 2023, Women Talking Fire was founded. WTF is an independent networking and support group for women and male allies in the UK fire safety industry. The group aims to bring women together and to ensure that women are visibly represented in the industry media and at industry events – it’s important that women can see role models that look like them. The group currently has over 1,100 followers and almost 570 members on their closed LinkedIn Group page.
Firefighting Awareness Day
On 3 September 2024, Women Talking Fire and Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service hosted 50 delegates to the CFRS Training Centre for a practical and hands-on firefighting awareness day.
After an initial welcome from Chief Fire Officer, Alex Waller, delegates divided into groups to spend the day visiting 5 different stations and finding out more about various aspects of firefighting. The stations included learning about:
- The equipment carried on a fire appliance
- How water supplies are obtained from both hydrants and open water sources
- The physical demands of firefighting, including undergoing the fitness tests that firefighters must pass
- High rise firefighting, including updated processes and procedures following the Grenfell Phase 1 report’s publication
- The Incident Command Centre – a fantastic interactive facility where incidents can be simulated and role playing can be used to teach and assess officers
The day ended with a “big burn”, where delegates watched these various aspects put into practice as firefighters carried out a demonstration, rescuing individuals from a terraced house on fire.
Women Talking Fire would like to thank the staff of Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service, and in particular Kristian Clowes, for hosting such a well-organised, interactive and informative day. After the success of our first collaboration, we are currently in discussions with CFRS about holding a similar event next year
Feedback from delegates:
“The whole event was excellent”.
“The organisation of the whole day was exceptional – the Fire Service had been great!”
“Brilliant!”
“As a woman, it was great to attend an industry event where I was not in the minority”.
Quote from Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service:
“CFRS were very proud to host this firefighting awareness day at our Training Centre in conjunction with Women Talking Fire. The day was about so much more than understanding what our firefighters do; it was a fantastic opportunity for the fire and rescue service and professionals from the fire industry to meet, network and share knowledge.
The day was a huge success, with learning and development had by all who attended. We were able to showcase our state-of-the-art training centre and incident command suite to others and explain some of the training, equipment and procedures that we have to respond to emergencies.
The day was so well received that we are already in the early planning stages to host a similar event next year, so we can continue to collaborate and learn from each other.”
Kris Clowes, Station Manager – Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service
Our First Year
In its first year, Women Talking Fire has:
- Held a Technical Conference for 150 delegates in Leeds
- Held social evening events in London and Bury
- Undertaken a survey to better understand the views and perspectives of men and women working in the UK fire safety industry
- Collaborated with The Fire Safety Event 2024
Plans for the Next Year
Women Talking Fire is planning:
- A workshop around confidence, communication and career progression workshop – to be held at the ASFP Academy, Coventry, on 6 March 2025
- Another Firefighting Awareness Day with Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service
- We’ll continue to develop stronger partnerships with industry exhibitions, including Fire Buyer, London Build 2024, Firex 2024 and The Fire Safety Event 2025
Confidence, Communication and Career Progression Workshop
Women Talking Fire are holding this workshop on 6 March 2025 at the ASFP Academy, Coventry.
This interactive workshop is an opportunity to learn some practical skills and gain some actionable strategies for professional advancement.
We want delegates to be empowered to have more impact when communicating, and to raise their personal brand to help them reach their full potential.
We are delighted that Business Leader and Executive Coach Manjit Mandeir will be running the sessions.
We’re grateful to the Association of Specialist Fire Protection for supporting us by providing the venue for this event. And to LGM Products for sponsoring the event.
Tickets for the workshop are available at: Buy tickets – Women Talking Fire (tickettailor.com)
To Find Out More About Women Talking Fire
Membership of the Women Talking Fire closed LinkedIn Group is free and open to all, including women and male allies who support what we do and what we stand for. Members do not have to be affiliated to a particular institution or professional body.
For more information on our events, see our LinkedIn page: Women Talking Fire: Overview | LinkedIn or see the events page on our website: www.womentalkingfire.co.uk
To join our closed LinkedIn Group, go to Women Talking Fire | Groups | LinkedIn
