A Spennymoor mum with a 20-year trailblazing career in County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service is being celebrated on International Women’s Day.
Becky Brown, 39, has worked her way up the ranks in the service, and is now the most senior female operational firefighter in County Durham. Last year, she told gave a talk at the school attended by her two daughters, Sophie, 13, and Emily, 9, to show pupils how being a firefighter is not just a man’s job.
Reflecting on that day, Becky has explained that seeing the pride in the faces of her daughters is one of the standout moments of her career with CDDFRS. She said: “I felt like I inspired every single girl in that assembly.
“Tell me another job where you get to go into your daughters’ school and they can see you at work. It was brilliant and a really lovely moment, as inspiring the next generation is what it’s all about.”
Becky’s dad, Iain Davison, was also a firefighter, and she grew up attending service events, telling her dad that she planned to follow in his footsteps. She started as an on-call firefighter at just 18, and was selected as the only woman on a recruit’s course two years later, becoming a fully-fledged firefighter at 21.
(Image: CDDFRS)
Now, Becky is a station manager, as well as the training delivery manager responsible for the instructors, the content and the number of courses that the service runs, and implementing new ways of working.
Last year, Becky received her 20 years of service medal and brought her children along to see the milestone moment. Now, she is continuing to be a role-model for her own girls and others in the region who want to become a firefighter.
She continued: “I think having that female representation is so important. I am in the unique position to be able to help other women and girls to see that they are good enough to do this job if they want to.
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“I want to tell them to put themselves out there and not be afraid because it is such a rewarding career. If you want to be a firefighter, absolutely go for it as you don’t know what you can achieve until you try.
“You can do so much good as a firefighter – whether it’s at incidents or going into schools and inspiring the next generation.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/meet-spennymoor-mum-who-blazed-31149614
