Waygaze

Daily Realities

When asked about the best part of being a firefighter, Dominic simply replied, “The community.”

He explained that fire stations often serve as hubs where people can turn for help or advice. Unlike the police, who may sometimes be viewed with suspicion, or NHS staff, who often face criticism, firefighters generally seem more approachable and receive more appreciation for the risks they take.

Dominic particularly enjoys the school visits, where children are given the chance to explore the fire engines.

“I remember the very first time I went inside a fire engine, and I loved it…If you can make a memory like that for a child, then you should,” he said.

Tom emphasised that what he enjoys the most is that every day is unique. The night before, another watch had battled a substation fire which had made the news, while that evening they had rescued a young fox.

“A lot of the time, the calls we get are for faulty fire alarms,” he explained. “So, sometimes, you can get a bit complacent.”

He noted that injuries were rare in cases like the substation fire, adding that false alarms, road traffic collisions, and animal rescues were more common than people might think.

A 2024 report from the UK government website stated that, “of all incidents attended by [fire rescue services], fires accounted for 23%, fire false alarms 42% and non-fire incidents 35%…”.[2]

I followed up by asking about what realities of firefighting can be challenging.

“One of the hardest things for me,” Dominick explained, “is not when you have a death, but when you’re dealing with the family left behind. It’s very sad when you have to deal with members of the public like that…and there’s little training to prepare you for it.”

Tom agreed. “The pandemic was also memorable.” He explained that he and Dominick had both volunteered for the pandemic response with the police, going into the community and handling the deceased.

“They had to be taken care of in a very particular way; you had to put a bag over their head and wrap them up,” Dominic said. “We had to wear hazmat suits. Again, we weren’t in harm’s way as we were provided with the proper PPE.”

During the pandemic, the LFB supported the London Ambulance Service in what was described as “the most significant collaboration effort London has ever seen”. Firefighters attended over 110,000 ambulance calls and delivered 20 million pieces of PPE. In recognition, 500 staff received commemorative coins and certificates. [3]

I proceeded to ask if their profession was hard on their families, and the firefighters emphasised that it wasn’t much of a hardship.

Dominic said his wife enjoyed it when he was on a night shift, as she could stretch out on their bed, and Tom added that his girlfriend enjoyed having the flat to herself.

Dominic laughed. “My marriage survived because of my shift pattern.”

He went on to explain, “[Firefighting] risks are really mitigated. It’s rare that you’re in harm’s way…occasionally, you do have to take risks. You accept that as part of the job, but it’s not all the time.”

It became clear that accepting the possibility of dangerous situations and making life-saving decisions was simply a way of living, and that the many less hazardous duties the firefighters performed often brought a sense of routine and security.

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[1] BBC News (2025) London substation fire under control, says brigade [online], 29 April. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2wvz4pjryo (Accessed: 28 August 2025).

[2] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2025) Fire and rescue incident statistics, year ending December 2024 [online], 17 April. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-year-ending-december-2024/fire-and-rescue-incident-statistics-year-ending-december-2024

[3] London Fire Brigade (2021) Covid-19 frontline firefighters to be commended for work during pandemic [online], 2 March. Available at: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/2021-news/march/covid-19-frontline-firefighters-to-be-commended-for-work-during-pandemic/