South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
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Firefighter Mason joins Rossington on-call crew after being rescued as a child

Fifteen years after being rescued from flooding as a child, a Rossington man has joined the same on-call firefighting crew that saved him.

Mason Stead, 19, was one of five firefighter recruits who graduated from their intense training course earlier this month.

He is now an operational firefighter at Rossington fire station, responding from home or work when people in the community need him and the crew.

Mason, who was four-years-old when rescued from the 2007 floods, says he has dreamt of being a firefighter ever since that moment.

“Being rescued from the floods all those years ago isn’t something I’ve ever forgotten, and since that moment I have dreamt of being a firefighter and being able to help someone else in their hour of need, like the Rossington crew did for me,” he added.

“The training course we’ve been on over the last few months has been challenging, in every sense, but to complete it is the most rewarding feeling in the world.

“I’m extremely proud to have passed the course and now be a part of the Rossington crew that does such good work in the community.”

The service is currently recruiting for on-call firefighters at Askern, Rossington and Penistone – with officers urging anyone interested to register quickly, as time is running out.

This latest recruitment window runs until the end of March, with the next on-call recruitment drive taking place in September this year.

On-call firefighters have the same high standard of training as full-time firefighters, but they operate on a ‘part-time’ basis and respond either from home or a place of work when alerted by a pager.

“Our on-call staff are ordinary people that do an extra ordinary job. Whilst their contracts may be part-time, their commitment is so much more than that,” said Station Manager Chris Tyler, who oversees on-call recruitment for the service.

“This latest recruitment drive has come off the back of some huge success in recent years – seeing us go from seven stations with vacancies to only three.

“For people who live within these three station areas, it’s a massive opportunity to take on a rewarding role that will see you serve your community and earn extra cash.”

Anyone interested in joining the service as an on-call firefighter is encouraged to first register their interest in a role, here. Please note, you must live or work within a five/six minute travel time of the station to be considered for a role.

Fire services combine to buy brand new rescue jackets for firefighters

South Yorkshire’s firefighters have been kitted out with a brand new piece of protective clothing, bought as part of a regional collaboration with neighbouring fire and rescue services.

The multi-function rescue jackets are worn by firefighters at non-fire rescue incidents like road traffic collisions, as well as small fires in the open.

The high visibility, waterproof jackets are designed to be as lightweight and breathable as possible, helping fire crews to maneuver more easily and comfortably at incidents where traditional fire kit is not required.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has bought the jackets in a joint venture with the services in North Yorkshire and Humberside.

South Yorkshire’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Tony Carlin, said: “This is a completely new piece of kit for South Yorkshire and signals our commitment to providing our firefighters with the very best clothing and equipment with which they carry out their life saving work.

“We are dedicated to working with our neighbouring services and this is another clear example of a collaboration project that not only enhances the safety of our firefighters, but ensures best value to the people we serve.”

Steve Topham, Director of Service Support Delivery, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The new jackets have been really well received by crews who now have a wider choice of clothing appropriate for non-fire incidents. The regional collaboration has been a real success and ensures that we deliver on our objective of getting the best value for money where possible when purchasing vehicles, equipment and clothing.”

Dave Winspear, North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Director of Capabilities said: “We work really hard to make sure that our firefighters are provided with the most appropriate kit for the job in hand and earlier this month we went live with our new multi-function rescue jacket. It meets all the requirements of a high-vis jacket and you’ll see our firefighters wearing then when attending non-structural incidents like road traffic collisions.”

UK fire and rescue services have been encouraged to work together to drive down the amount spent on essential goods such as frontline equipment and workwear.

The Policing & Crime Act 2017 placed a new statutory duty on emergency services to look at opportunities to work collaboratively.

Have a go days!

Would you like to try your hand at being a firefighter?

We’re running a series of have a go and have a chat sessions that will give you a chance to meet our staff, answer any questions, learn about the recruitment process and, ultimately, try your hand at some of our practical tests.

The dates are below and you need to book your place by emailing positiveaction@syfire.gov.uk – please note that we can only accept applications from people living within South Yorkshire.

WEEK ONE – The role of a firefighter – Zoom
Tuesday 22 March – 10am OR Wednesday 23 March – 6.30pm

WEEK TWO – The recruitment and selection process – Zoom
Tuesday 29 March – 10am OR Wednesday 30 March – 6.30pm

WEEK THREE – The practical tests – Zoom
Tuesday 5 April – 10am OR Wednesday 13 April – 6.30pm

WEEK FOUR – Firefighter fitness – Zoom
Tuesday 12 April – 10am OR Wednesday 13 April – 6.30pm

HAVE A GO DAY – Face to face
Sunday 3 April OR Sunday 22 May

Firefighter Ellie becomes family’s third generation to serve at Askern fire station

Three generations of the same firefighting family attended an extra special ceremony to mark the graduation of the latest recruit to join the ranks at Askern fire station.

Ellie Adams, aged 23, has became the third generation of her family to serve at Askern, Doncaster after completing her initial training and ‘passing out’ in front of family and friends at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Sheffield training base.

Amongst those watching were Ellie’s dad Steve Adams and grandad Michael Jackson who both served on-call at Askern fire station.

On-call firefighters are paid for their training, for being on-call and for each incident they attend – but they must live or work within a five minute drive of their closest fire station.

Dad Steve, who retires from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue after 35 years’ service later this month, said: “It was an incredibly proud day for the whole family. Firefighting isn’t something we’ve necessarily pushed on Ellie as a family, but as soon as she heard that we were recruiting at Askern fire station she wanted to give it a go. Like the rest of the recent recruits, she’s had to work really hard to complete her initial training, but the way she’s applied herself to it all has made me really proud.”

Ellie’s grandad Michael Jackson joined Askern fire station in 1960 aged 17- combining his firefighting role with a full time job at the nearby colliery. He rose to the rank of sub-officer, before retiring from the fire service in 1981.

He’d been inspired to sign-up by his older brother Fred- a D-Day veteran who joined Doncaster Fire Brigade in 1947, before going on to become Chief Fire Officer in Hong Kong.

Michael is father-in-law to Steve, who began work at Askern in 1987 before becoming a full time firefighter with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 1996. He’s been there ever since, rising to the rank of Group Manager.

Now daughter Ellie has followed in both their footsteps. She joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in September after completing a pandemic disrupted university degree. She’s been working towards completing her initial training, culminating in last week’s ceremony.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is currently recruiting on-call firefighters at Askern, Rossington and Penistone fire station.

For more information on the role of an on-call firefighter or to apply, visit the service’s website here.

Service launches exhibition as part of International Women’s Day

Inspirational women from across South Yorkshire’s fire service are being celebrated this week, as part of a brand new ‘Women of Fire’ exhibition.

Pulled together by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, as part of International Women’s Day, the exhibition features portrait photographs of eight women currently working within the service.

Organisers say that the exhibition has been designed to support this year’s official women’s day theme – #BreakTheBias – by celebrating the huge contributions of women to the fire service.

Chief Fire Officer, Alex Johnson, features alongside firefighters, senior leaders, corporate staff and control room operators.

She says that the exhibition has been designed to support this year’s official women’s day theme – #BreakTheBias – by celebrating the huge contributions of women to the fire service.

“We’re starting to see a really positive change in the perceptions around women in the fire service, which has been great, but we can’t stop now,” she said.

“Right across the country we have amazing women doing a vital role in the UK fire and rescue sector, as they have been for years, and International Women’s Day provides us with the perfect platform to celebrate this.

“This exhibition has been designed to show that you can be a woman, and a firefighter, both at the same time. The staff featured in the portraits are living examples of that.

“So if you’re a woman who has long considered applying for a career in the fire service, but you’ve never made the leap, we want you to check out our exhibition.

“Every woman in those photos has done it, and so can you.”

The physical ‘Women of Fire’ exhibition will be showcased at the Winter Gardens, Sheffield, between Wednesday 9 March and Monday 14 March.

Each of the staff involved in the exhibition has had two photos taken to capture two sides of their character – one reflecting their life at work and one reflecting their life outside of it.

The service has also developed a website dedicated to the exhibition – this can be viewed at Women of Fire (women-of-fire.co.uk) – and includes details of all those featured in the photographs.

The photographs for the exhibition were captured by Orestes S Rix, a portrait photographer who previously worked on the service’s FAMILY exhibition for Black History Month.

The service would also like to thank North Notts College who provided media make-up students who supported the exhibition.