My name is Janine and I am a wholetime firefighter, currently stationed at Redhill Park fire station in Bournemouth.
I have been in the fire service for almost 23 years. My working career started with the local council as an administration assistant, and it wasn’t until they advertised about letting personnel be released to fulfil on-call duties that I thought about becoming a firefighter.
I only took it seriously when I mentioned to a friend’s partner, only to be met with “you’ll never be able to do that!” I knew then that it was something I had to pursue, and prove to myself (and them) that I could do it.
I passed all the assessments and was stationed at Wareham for two years before I decided I wanted to do it full time. I worked as a wholetime firefighter for London Fire Brigade for four years before I transferred back to Dorset in 2008.
The best part of my job is that every day is different, I can honestly say I’ve never woken up and thought “I don’t want to go to work today”. It’s great to be part of a team that all have the same end goal; when you are part of the fire service, you are part of a huge community.
As a female firefighter, I have faced a few challenges over the years and worked in many different environments, but this has made me a stronger individual and a more understanding, sympathetic person.
I am also extremely passionate about neurodiversity, due to my personal experience with a close family member. These attributes are very important and can assist me as an individual when supporting others.
I’d love to have the opportunity to share the positivity of working in the fire service, and want to help and support others trying to achieve that goal.