Campaign seeking to increase diversity in fire service
Dublin Fire Brigade has launched a new recruitment campaign to try and attract a greater diversity of people to the service.
They are hoping to increase the number of women, non-Irish nationals and people with different backgrounds, such as trades and science training.
In the past, recruitment campaigns for Dublin Fire Brigade could attract up to 10,000 applicants, but in recent years that figure has fallen to around 4,000.
The number of women applying to Dublin Fire Brigade has been historically low, but on their last recruitment campaign, the figure rose to 20%.
However, only 8% of those went to work for the fire services.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer and Head of HR for Dublin Fire Brigade Greg O'Dwyer said the biggest barrier to women applying to the service is their own perception that they cannot do the job.
However he said the nature of the work is also an issue, one which they are trying to overcome.
"It's a big commitment. We work a 24-hour shift system, 365 days a year and so for some people they might think it might not suit into their lifestyle or for childminding and so on, so we're bringing in new initiatives to try and to attract and to retain more females like work sharing pilots.
"Dublin City Council is a great organisation to work for as well, with regards to parental leave, maternity leave, and all of those entitlements."
He said Dublin Fire Brigade are also eager to attract people from a diversity of backgrounds.
"We've a number of people from different ethnic backgrounds in the organisation and we're looking to try and get the word out there to all of the various communities around the country, not just Dublin, to think about a career in the fire service.
"Dublin city is very diverse now there's lot of different communities out there now, and we want to represent those communities as well."
Emma Wilson from Skerries in north Dublin was a secondary school teacher before she joined Dublin Fire Brigade over a decade ago.
She said while she was initially worried about it being male-dominated, she said she quickly felt no different to her male colleagues.
"When I left school and I did a degree in biology teaching and science teaching and taught for three years and then starting the fire brigade. The biology degree definitely helped with my paramedic studies. I found it a lot easier than some other of my classmates and probably helped them through a little bit."
"It was a bit intimidating starting off with a lot of males in your class and there's only one or two girls but then once you start working together, you realise everyone's on the same team, doing the same job. There's no difference".
"I love the job because it's very varied. No two days are the same. You also get to work with a variety of people from all walks of life.
"One of the officers that trained me, after he retired, I got him in cardiac arrest on the ambulance and he made a full recovery. He came in to speak to me and my colleague afterwards, to say thanks for essentially saving his life. It was a surreal feeling that you don't get in most jobs."
A background in science and or experience with a trade are among the skills and expertise the service are looking for.
Darren O'Connor, who is the Station Officer for Dublin Fire Brigade at their headquarters in Tara Street, had a trade when he entered Dublin Fire Brigade and said he has benefited from educational and promotional opportunities during his 20 years in the service.
"Before joining Dublin Fire Brigade I worked as an electrician. Since joining I've completed a masters degree and a degree in management practice and I've been promoted through the ranks.
"Having the background as an electrician and serving a trade where there's a lot of theory involved, and practice as well, certainly stood to me."
"People from trade backgrounds that have worked with practical tools, people from science background in biology, chemistry, all those factors come into being a fire-fighter paramedic.
"You're studying forensic science, you're studying anatomy, physiology as a paramedic, and you put it into practice."
200 people will be recruited as part of this intake on a starting salary of around €50,000.
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