‘I’m a firefighter. These are the questions I constantly get asked.’

The first time Valerie Allan saw a female firefighter, she was 24 years old. Before then, she didn’t even know a career like that was possible for her. Now, she’s a firefighter herself, pushing to bring more women into the industry. 

After volunteering with the State Emergency Service and the metropolitan Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service in WA, Valerie knew she wanted to continue to give back – so she reached out to recruitment with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and began her journey towards becoming a career firefighter. 

“When I saw women who were firefighters I just thought, 'wow, this is something I would love to do, to get paid to do.' Being able to see people like me in the role made a big difference,” Valerie told Mamamia.

The road to becoming a firefighter was hard work, but now that she’s working with the DFES to protect her community, Valerie knows she’s found her place.

“Each day is a new challenge to push myself to my limits and to see what I can do. You always surprise yourself.”

Here are the questions Valerie gets asked the most and precisely how she answers them. 

How do you become a qualified firie?

"I did a lot of research, like visiting my local fire station to ask questions. Being in the volunteer space, I could speak to some people in the industry to see what areas I needed to work on. 

"It's a rigorous recruitment process that takes about six months. I studied for aptitude and cognitive tests, and worked on my fitness to make sure that I could do the role. I wanted my application to DFES recruitment to highlight my strength areas, like community engagement and communication skills."

What sort of hours do you work? Is a work-life balance achievable for a firefighter?

"It's four days on, four days off, so it's a really good lifestyle," she explains.

"I work two day shifts of 10 hours and two night shifts of 14 hours. Then you get four days off, which works really well for family life or seeing friends."

Does everyone complete the same tests?

"Everyone is expected to perform to the same standard – they don’t change it based on gender. That was nerve-wracking, to be honest," she admits.

"You have that image of a firefighter as a big, strong, tough guy. But being able to see women doing the roles, I knew there must be a way I could do that. As long as you can lift a certain amount of weights and continue to work on your fitness, you can definitely keep up with everyone."

What are the characteristics of a great firefighter?

"Integrity, resilience, and drive, because it is challenging sometimes. 

"You want all types of people in the job because if you have different experiences you can bring to the role, it makes a big difference on station and at incidents. Having really good interpersonal skills is really important – being able to communicate with people, knowing how to ask for what you need in a situation and speaking up."

How do you mentally prepare for tough situations and cope with the hard days?

"That’s something that I had to adapt to coming out of the school. When you're working on station, you could be doing your cleaning, or training, you could be sitting down having dinner, and then in 10 minutes, you could get a call and you'd be out fighting a large fire or at a road crash rescue or even just doing an animal rescue – it can be so diverse," she tells Mamamia. 

"To prepare for those tough moments you have to remember you're there to make someone's day better, no matter what's happened. And you can always rely on your team."

Image: Supplied.

What’s the importance of teamwork in a job like yours?

"DFES hire a diverse range of people with different personalities and backgrounds. Once you're on the job, everyone's switched on, everyone's got your back to help you get through a tough situation. You could meet someone that day and a few hours later, you've experienced something that brings you closer together. There's nothing like the team bonding from an incident you work on together, it's very quick."

Do we need more women in firefighting?

"100 per cent – we need to reflect the community. I've worked with a few women that I look up to at DFES. I’m really grateful for them, they're amazing. There are a lot of firies that have paved the way for women to join the job.

"Being able to communicate and have those really good interpersonal skills is very beneficial for a firefighter. Just being able to talk to people and work as a team, and adapt to any situation that is thrown at you."

What’s your advice to young women and girls who are interested in a career in firefighting? 

"You need to have resilience and a drive to get into the role. Everyone's experiences are beneficial for the job. I was nervous trying to get in, I always thought about reasons why I shouldn't but just give it a go and train for it. 

"Try your hardest and you'll really surprise yourself. One of the best things about this job is that you can learn from your mistakes and get better, and keep trying. Everyone wants to help you get there."

What do you love most about your job?

"The pride I have in what I do by helping others. It's also very exciting. You get to see things that a lot of people don’t – both good and bad. 

"And those experiences with your friends at work are like no other. I get to work with the community and go to schools and teach them about fire safety, too. There are so many different areas you can go into for a career with DFES."

Apply now to pursue a dynamic career in firefighting. Recruitment is open from 15 December 2022 until 16 January 2023, or keep an eye on the website for the announcement of future rounds of recruitment.

Feature Image: Supplied.