Capita Defence Fire and Rescue sponsored reservist firefighter Tate, tells why the training he went through was the best 12 weeks of his life and what he’s looking forward to achieving in the future.
Capita Defence, Fire and Rescue is changing the future of firefighting, partnering with the UK Ministry of Defence to create a truly world-class fire and rescue service. Sponsored reservist Tate, stationed at RAF Odiham, loves waking up each day as a firefighter, ready to respond in an instant to potentially dangerous situations. We spoke to him about his experiences so far, and how rewarding he found the training he received.
At Odiham we look after the Chinooks as well as the Kings helicopters on the airfield. We also occasionally have to be on standby for visiting aircraft such as Apache's and Pumas and very rarely the C17, all of which improves our knowledge of different aircrafts.
Without firefighters on section the aircraft would not be able to fly. The Chinooks and other rotary aircraft play a massive part within the RAF, and are able to operate from land and sea bases in all kinds of terrains and lift a variety of different supplies. In recent years they’ve responded to emergencies in the UK, from snowbound farmers in Northern Ireland to helping reconstruct flood defences damaged by winter storms.
Training at another level
The training was the best 12 weeks of my life, and I can't really put into words how amazing it was. We covered so many aspects of firefighter training, from firefighting techniques to search and rescue, teamwork and leadership skills. I made so many friends throughout the process who I hope I can work with in the future when deployed to different areas.
The facilities at the Fire Service College were great – the canteen was perfect, the gym had a variety of different equipment making our PT sessions interesting and engaging, and the heated pool and sauna was perfect in the evenings for down time after being on the drill ground all day.
The instructors were very knowledgeable and fair, which took the whole experience to another level, making sure we were the best we could possibly be.
Rewarding – but hard – work
If you've ever had an interest in working within public services, this is a great opportunity and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. In recent years it has been very hard to get into fire and rescue services – you must be willing to put the work in. It’s also important that you can think on your feet as split-second decisions can lead to major incidents. You must be able work as a team through stressful and dangerous scenarios to achieve the task at hand. If I could do the training all over again, I would in a heartbeat.
