Name: Sam

Role: Retained Duty System (RDS) Firefighter.

“As I’m a new recruit I can’t go into my experience of the role too much as yet – but I can tell you why I’ve decided to take up the challenge of becoming an RDS Firefighter.

“I’m a single parent with two kids – as I reached 30 I knew I really wanted to be a positive role model for my children.

“I set about getting fit and losing weight, and attended an Uniformed Services recruitment event after being made redundant from my last job. 

“We got talking about the RDS role and I attended a Positive Action event run by the Service, designed to encourage applications from underrepresented members of the community.

“I loved it and was able to pass all the relevant tests.

“I have now lost four and a half stone and I work full time as well as offering cover during the evening and weekends as a firefighter.

“Being a firefighter was never a career I thought about. But when I talked to my children about it, they really encouraged me and convinced me I could do it.

“I know it’s going to be a juggle, but I really want to be part of something that is making my community a better place – a safer place for my children to grow up in.”