From Career Change to Firefighter

When Nisha began searching for a career change, she knew it had to be something meaningful – a role built on teamwork, variety, and the opportunity to help others. She also wanted something that matched her love of keeping fit while giving her the chance to keep learning. Firefighting, she soon realised, ticked every box.

Curious about what the job was really like, she attended several “Have a Go” days, which gave her the chance to try out the equipment, meet firefighters, and see the role up close. Alongside this, she joined the fitness sessions organised by the Service, which she said: “It helped to guide my gym routine and helped me to focus on certain aspects of fitness that were applicable to the job.” Speaking directly with firefighters at her local station also proved reassuring – they offered advice, answered questions, and helped put her mind at ease about the process ahead.

The journey into the fire service, she explains, is not something that happens overnight: “It's a lengthy process with lots of different things to achieve at each stage. You need to be motivated to work hard at each stage, it's not something that most people can sail through without putting some work in. However, applicants were always given information and support on what would be required of them at each stage, so you were never left to guess what you needed to do. The onus was on you to make sure you did everything you could to pass each stage.”

Following her successful application, Nisha began her apprenticeship, which lasted around 18–24 months. This period, she says, was crucial to her development.

The apprenticeship stage for wholetime firefighters is around 18-24 months and is really important because this is where you're putting all of the skills you've learnt at training school into practice, both on the drill yard and during operational incidents. It's also an important stage because this is where you're learning a lot more about the job away from the operational work such as maintaining equipment, station duties, targets that are set by the Service for each watch to achieve.”

Now a fully qualified firefighter, Nisha describes the role as one of the most fulfilling experiences of her life.

“I love attending the incidents and helping people because we can make a difference to someone who is having one of the worst days of their life”

Yet it isn’t just the emergencies that make the role special. Nisha has also embraced the community and camaraderie of the fire service – meeting new people, joining staff networks, and becoming part of a team where everyone supports one another and celebrates success together.

Looking back, Nisha admits that firefighting wasn’t a career she had initially considered. No one in her family or circle of friends worked in the fire service, and the job wasn’t on her radar until a friend encouraged her to explore it. 

She is keen to encourage others to follow the same path, particularly those who might dismiss the idea because of stereotypes about what a firefighter “should” look like.

Don't let any stereotypes of what you think firefighters should look like or how they should be become a barrier to you applying - the fire service has people from all walks of life, with different skillsets and transferable skills that can be an asset to your watch. You're not expected to know how to be a firefighter, that's what you learn at SDC and during your probation. What really counts is having a drive for the job, being motivated to do as well as you can and being open to new challenges.”

For those thinking about applying, she recommends speaking to firefighters at local stations and building functional fitness in the gym to prepare. She also advises recruits to go into training school with realistic expectations; the 13 weeks of intense training can be demanding and may require sacrifices outside of work. But she’s quick to stress that training school isn’t the reality of day-to-day life in the fire service – once you pass out, the balance returns, and the rewards of the job make every step worthwhile.