Talking inclusion with the first UK female firefighter

A new podcast discussing diversity in emergency management features firefighting pioneer Jo Reynolds. 

The Women and Firefighting Australasia podcast was hosted by CRC end-user Steve O’Malley from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. O’Malley sat down with Reynolds when she was in Melbourne to explore her experience as the UK’s first ever female firefighter.

The interview explored how mentoring and visible modelling of women in these roles can support diversity and inclusion in fire service organisations, as well as discussing Reynolds’ experience. Joining the fire brigade at just 17 years old, she reflected on the little change to the number of female firefighters in more than 30 years since her first day.

“The stats are absolutely shocking. It was 1983 when I got taken on and now five per cent [women firefighters in an organisation] is a big figure somewhere.”

“They may have done a campaign in one county in America, and they’ll have 15 per cent, you know, [but] it's generally somewhere between two and five per cent,” said Reynolds.

O’Malley and Reynolds discussed how pervasive misconceptions are preventing diversity and inclusion in fire service organisations.

Examples of these mistaken beliefs include perceptions that for women to become firefighters, organisations will ’lower the bar’, changing the standard required for entry into the role and putting communities at risk.

These beliefs are unfounded, and organisations can, in fact, support diverse individuals to join the service while ensuring the needs of the role are fulfilled without compromising standards.

Reynolds explained that to do this, organisations can shift thinking from concern around women not meeting requirements, to proactively asking what the organisation can do to help diverse people meet role requirements.

"It’s about: What is the service that you need to provide, and what training do you need to be doing? What’s your job role now?" she explained.

“Maybe it’s a case of saying, ‘for this particular type of work, this is the kind of level we’re going to need.’ It doesn’t matter what sex you are or which colour your skin is. And if we can find a way to train people to get them to that level, great!”

"Before we go to the entrances, train people first, help them to get there.”

Listen to the full interview: https://podcastlab.media/wp/the-story-of-uks-first-female-firefighter-failure-wasnt-an-option-for-this-trailblazer/

The development of the podcast was supported by Victoria University, AFAC and the CRC through the Diversity and inclusion: building strength and capability project, of which O’Malley is the lead end-user.