Being a female in a man’s world comes easy to Elaine Timmis. Not only is she passionate about farming, tending to the livestock and helping out at her family’s farm shop, she has also just completed her initial firefighter’s training.
Elaine, 23, hails from a farming dynasty spanning 95 years and along with her sister Melissa she has become the fifth generation to farm and her family continue to breed her great-grandfather’s prize-winning Hereford cattle at Moor Farm in Baschurch.
Elaine Timmis, far left.
But now she will juggle her time between what she has always known with new territory – helping to put the community’s safety first when she takes on her role as a retained firefighter.
“I feel quite honoured to be Baschurch’s first-ever female firefighter,” she said.
“Agriculture is a male dominated industry so firefighting is not much different in that respect, but you certainly have to prove yourself a bit more. A year and a half ago Baschurch Fire Station came into the shop doing their recruitment drive and dropped off a pack with us and I thought that it sounded exciting and certainly different from anything I’ve done before.”
Retained firefighters are a vital part of today’s fire and rescue service. They provide an efficient, cost effective and reliable service that provides emergency cover in the county.
At Baschurch there are around 15 retained firefighters – all male – who do ordinary jobs and offer evening, daytime and/or weekend cover.
They are ‘on call’ to respond to a range of emergencies the moment a message comes through to their pager and work alongside full time firefighters. They are capable of saving people’s lives.
Elaine has now been deemed competent in the use of pumps, ladders and firefighting equipment and is able to wear breathing apparatus. She can be on call 24-hours a day Monday-Friday and every other weekend.
She said: “I’ve only been on call for two weeks now so I’m only just getting to know how it all works. I didn’t realise how much information we had to take on board. It’s the most intensive course I’ve ever done, I’ve learned about road traffic collisions, how to get people out of cars and delivering first aid.
“Farming is a full-time job as well, it’s your life and you have to love doing it and it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do and I’m so lucky to have jobs I enjoy as it doesn’t feel like a chore.
“I’d never thought about firefighting before so it’s a big change but quite exciting. It’s a way of giving something back to your own community and potentially saving lives.
“At the station they have been really supportive and have really welcomed me in. I hope I will be there for many years to come.”
To find out more about becoming a retained firefighter visit www.shropshirefire.gov.uk
By Charlotte Hester
