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Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 with the theme #InspireInclusion, the campaign emphasises diversity and empowerment for gender equality, urging action to break barriers and challenge stereotypes. With an increasing number of women in the emergency services, I take a look at the strides made in breaking gender norms and creating an inclusive workplace.
Looking back to history
Women’s involvement in emergency services in the UK evolved over time. Before the 20th century, they were mainly volunteers in roles like lifesaving at the RNLI. Check out five influential women in RNLI history here. Official roles in emergency services began with the ambulance service during World War I, despite initial resistance.
Women’s contributions expanded in World War II, with Queen Elizabeth II even serving as an ambulance driver. The first female police officer was sworn in during 1910, leading to numerous female firsts in policing. In the fire service, World War II saw the first recruitment of women in the Auxiliary Fire Service, challenging perceptions about their capabilities. However, post-1945, women’s participation in the fire service declined, and it took until 1976 for the first woman to be appointed as an operational firefighter, marking a significant milestone.
The female trailblazers of the past, who overcame prejudice, skepticism, and sexism, left an indelible mark on the history of emergency services. Their accomplishments, along with the contributions of countless other women in the field, paved the way for today’s generation of emergency service professionals. But what does the landscape of women in the emergency services look like today?
While it’s evident that strides have been made towards inclusivity and gender equality within the emergency services, there is still work to be done. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are fundamental to embracing the diverse perspectives and aspects of individuals within our society, particularly as the emergency services serve diverse communities and therefore should also reflect a diverse workforce.
Ambulance
Air Ambulance UK has been celebrating International Women’s Day all week by shining a spotlight on the women who make invaluable contributions to the air ambulance industry.
Jessica Thomas-Mourne, from Devon Air Ambulance, shared her insights as a woman in Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS). Despite the field’s predominantly male environment, Jessica has excelled. She stressed the need to overcome gender stereotypes and making it more accessible for women to join HEMS. Jessica’s perspective highlights the significance of inclusivity, advocating for equal opportunities for all individuals interested in pursuing careers in HEMS.
“In the UK, one in four critical care paramedics is a woman and 1 in 5 critical care doctors identify as a woman. Additionally, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority 2022, only 3.7% of helicopter pilots are women, despite a near 50/50 split in registered frontline paramedics and doctors.”
Hannah Nobbs, HEMS First Officer, shares her positive experiences as a female pilot in the flying industry. While most interactions with the public are encouraging, she notes occasional inquiries about being a ‘proper pilot,’ emphasising the need for increased visibility of female pilots.
Addressing practical challenges, such as uncertain mission durations and limited toilet breaks, Hannah highlights the impact of improved flying gear. Expressing the industry’s readiness for more female representation, she acknowledges financial barriers and encourages a shift in societal attitudes towards risk for aspiring women pilots.
“Young women are often encouraged to be risk adverse and be careful and think of how our career choices affect others. I remember worrying if I was being too selfish wanting to take on the financial risk of being a pilot, because ultimately it is a huge investment and can all be for nothing if you can’t get a flying job or lose your medical.”
Hannah Nobbs, HEMS First Officer.
From our own research, we found that of the 13 services in the UK, 8% of women hold a chief executive role in the ambulance service.
Throughout the week and especially today ambulance trusts have been coming together to inspire, educate, and empower all, highlighting this year’s theme of #InspireInclusion.
East of England Ambulance Service held a collaborative event with Essex Police and the Deputy Police and Fire Commissioner where attendees were able to listen and engage with a range of speakers on topics including domestic abuse, mental health and wellbeing, menopause, neurodiversity, and miscarriage.
“It is a privilege to be working alongside women leaders across our sector. The theme this year is #inspireinclusion and I want to recognise the work that is being driven forward by you through our networks and in day-to-day work – there is no doubt that together this will help us to grow and improve for each other and future generations of women in our services.”
Helen Ray, Chair of the National Ambulance Women’s Network and Chief Executive of North East Ambulance Service.
Police
According to national statistics shared by the Home Office, there were 51,210 female police officers in the 43 police forces on 31 March 2023, making up 34.7% of police officers in England and Wales. According to our own research, of 47 forces in the UK (including CNC, BTP, PSNI and Scotland), 38% of police forces have women in chief leadership roles.
Last year’s HeForShe: Gender Equality in UK Policing found that all UK police forces have made a commitment to address gender imbalances in middle management teams. For UK policing to have gender balanced senior leadership teams, all forces need to be in the ‘equal’ space. Progress over the last five years has be demonstrated, with forces moving in the right direction. However, there is still a long way to go with many forces still having a significant overrepresentation of men.
Almost all forces have seen an increase in the overall number of women officers within their force. This is in line with the increases seen over the last few years and the recruitment of additional officers through Operation Uplift. The average increase in women officers per force is 8.36%, this is an increase on last year’s average increase of 6.46%.
Police staff also provide an essential part of UK policing and undertake a wide range of roles. The fifth annual report 2023 found that women make up 62% of police staff and designated officers. Women make up 47% of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). When looking at Special Constables, the number of women has gone down by 2% and for Police Support Volunteers the number of women has gone up 1%. In general, there has been very little change amongst the representation of police staff over the last few years.
Ellen Clowes, a Learning Delivery Coordinator and Special Constable at British Transport Police, shares her inspiring journey from childhood dreams to policing, overcoming health challenges, and promoting inclusivity.
Despite facing stigma around chronic illnesses, particularly female-specific conditions like endometriosis, Ellen emphasised the importance of open conversations. She highlighted the need for practical considerations, such as access to period products and understanding colleagues’ needs during shifts.
Ellen noted positive changes in attitudes, with initiatives like the Female Police Association addressing uniform adjustments and promoting flexible working. She encourages open dialogue to foster inclusivity for colleagues with disabilities, expressing pride in sharing her story to inspire others.
You can read Ellen’s full article on improving inclusivity in the British Transport Police here.
Fire and rescue
Latest Home Office statistics show that overall 18.6% of fire services employees are women, but only 8.2% (2,862) of firefighters are women. While this has risen from 7.5% (2,644) in the previous year, it is clear that much more needs to be done to ensure that women are better represented across the workforce, improving the recruitment, development, retention and support of women in the fire service.
“At the National Fire Chiefs Council, we believe fire and rescue services should reflect the communities they serve and there is a responsibility on all leaders and staff within the sector to make fire and rescue services safe and inclusive places for everyone to work.
“A huge part of that work is rooting out harassment, misogyny and discrimination. Where it is found to exist, there is a responsibility on ALL of us to call out that behaviour to help ensure that it is dealt with swiftly and strongly. We also are aware of the significant number of events which are ongoing across the fire and rescue services and the sector to recognise, support and celebrate women and IWD.”
Kathryn Billing, Lead for Equality, Diversity and Invlusion at NFCC.
When we begin to look at leadership roles within fire and rescue services, these positions are predominantly held by men. From our own research, of 48 services across the UK, just 19% of women hold chief fire officer titles.
A government research and analysis into what barriers might be causing leadership in fire and rescue services found that FRSs could do more to attract applicants from diverse backgrounds into leadership roles. The most recent applications to leadership positions show that the vast majority of applicants were white men, and a lack of applications from women and ethnic minority groups, which reflects wider trends in FRS workforce profiles.
It also mentioned that many (predominantly female) staff consider the workplace a very male-dominant, macho environment with some hostility towards women’s place in the service. There were also a couple of reports of hostile comments towards the ethnicity of some staff; some participants, however, mentioned that the culture in their service had improved in recent years with the recruitment of new staff.
For all operational leadership roles, there was a much higher proportion of male than female applicants (around 1 in 10 (10%) applicants were women). While this is slightly higher than the current proportion of female firefighter (7% were women in 2020), it illustrates that this is still a lot of scope for FRSs to attract women into FRSs operational and leadership roles, so they more closely reflect the communities they serve.
Georgina Gilbert and Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe, or otherwise known as the Antarctic Fire Angels, both fire fighters with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Mid & West Wales Fire Service respectively, embarked on their expedition at the beginning of November 2023 and reached their final destination on January 12th 2024. They walked and skied over 1,200km in 52 days, from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole – the equivalent of 29 marathons!
The principal aims was to challenge gender stereotypes and to inspire future generations of women. Rebecca and Georgina are fantastic role models for women and girls to pursue a career in whichever field they choose and have provided advice and support to women undergoing the firefighter recruitment process.
They are now planning and building the Fire Angel Foundation which will see female Fire Cadets and Girl Guides embark on a three month programme, culminating in a mini expedition in Sweden where they will build self esteem, confidence and learn to support each other during times of adversity.
Louise Clarkson, Director of Corporate Services, who has been at Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) for over 20 years, said: “I believe it is important to celebrate women in all walks of life: mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and our colleagues, and IWD provides a great opportunity to do this.
“It provides a moment to pause, reflect on those that have achieved so much for gender equality before us, and remind us all that there is still work to do to achieve gender parity and inclusivity around the world.”
Louise added, “TWFRS strives to be inclusive in all aspects of our work and engage with all our female colleagues and other under-represented groups to help promote inclusivity and diversity. We need to continue to encourage and support all women in the fire service, whatever their role or remit, to feel confident and empowered to be role models, to inspire future generations and show them what is possible.”
While strides have been made in gender equality within emergency services, International Women’s Day serves as a reminder of the ongoing work needed. Embracing EDI is crucial to reflecting the diversity of the communities served.
The stories shared by women in various emergency service sectors underscore the importance of breaking barriers, challenging stereotypes and fostering inclusivity for all. The progress made is commendable, but there is a collective call to continue the journey toward gender parity and inclusivity.
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