Lexi's story
"I was the only person she remembered"
"Giving something back to the community was the reason I wanted to join the fire service.
I also love keeping fit, so doing something where I could stay active was important to me. I was just coming to the end of my college course, when I spotted the recruitment banner outside the fire station. I decided to give it a go. There aren’t that many women in the fire service, which made me even more determined to get in! I’m also quite short too, but that wasn’t a problem!
It’s the team and fellowship that I love the most. Don’t get me wrong, you see some horrific things, but the team help you get through it. But giving to the community is a great feeling. You get a huge sense of reward with the job and a lot of respect from the public. For me, there is no greater feeling than coming back from a job or incident, knowing you have had a positive impact on someone or helped that person with whatever they have just had to experience.
I remember vividly a road traffic collision where I was helping a casualty who was in a lot of pain with serious injuries. I kept talking to her while holding her oxygen tank. After she was airlifted to hospital and on the mend, I had a fellow firefighter come up to me and say that I was the only person she remembered and she wanted to meet me to thank me. That made my week and really put a smile on my face.
I’ve attended so many different incidents, from fires, road traffic collisions, alarm calls (at 3am!), water rescues, animal rescues and helping the ambulance services. I’ve been here since X, and I love it. It’s like nothing else, so if you’re thinking of joining the fire service, just go for it."