‘Buckets of resilience’ required to be a female firefighter, says LFB commander

Growing up in Hammersmith, Lucy Macleod did not imagine she would one day return as the senior officer responsible for protecting it.

Now Borough Commander for Hammersmith and Fulham at London Fire Brigade, she oversees two stations serving one of the capital’s busiest and most complex areas. Speaking on the For Every Response podcast, she reflected on a route into the service that was anything but typical.

Macleod joined 17 years ago, initially in a non-operational role as a trauma trainer delivering first aid training to firefighters. She was 29 at the time and close to completing a law degree.

“I joined late, and I joined in a non-operational role,” she said. “My story is not uncommon with minorities in the fire service – I didn’t actually think the fire service was for me.”

Encouraged by a friend, she applied for an operational role through a multi-tier entry programme. The training was demanding. “We went through all the standard training that all firefighters would go through, but we went out as incident commanders. There were only four of us, and I was the only woman.” She describes it as “100 times harder” than her degree.

Today, her focus is firmly operational. Hammersmith is home to London’s first operational electric pump, while Fulham brings the pressures of major events, tourism and football crowds. The borough also has a high proportion of high-rise residential buildings – a factor that shapes both prevention and response planning.

One growing risk is e-bike and e-scooter battery fires. “A lot of people live in high-rise buildings and charge some of their batteries in their common areas, which obviously is a real problem,” she said. The brigade’s #ChargeSafe campaign is aimed at reducing unsafe charging practices and raising awareness of the fire risks linked to lithium-ion batteries.

Alongside day-to-day command, Macleod has developed a specialist interest in casualty-focused rescue. She moved into technical rescue and has recently completed Master’s research into bariatric rescue, examining how services plan for and respond to incidents involving people whose size or mobility makes evacuation more complex.

Her research looks at whether infrastructure, procedures and equipment properly account for those who may be harder to evacuate in an emergency.

“Most fire services can respond to a one-off high-impact incident,” she said. “But if we have a really big event with multi-scale rescue evacuation, we need to think about the most vulnerable first.”

The work reflects a broader theme in her leadership: designing systems that work for everyone, not just the majority case.

That principle extends to staff wellbeing. Macleod regularly brings her dog, Blue, into work to support conversations around mental health. Blue is part of a wider network of around 15 wellbeing dogs across the brigade, helping create informal spaces for firefighters and staff to talk.

“He acts as a buffer when I talk about mental health, and then he bridges that conversation,” she said.

She has also taken fire safety messaging beyond the station ground. Macleod has written a series of children’s books featuring herself and Blue, using storytelling to explain modern firefighting to younger audiences. The first, Lucy and Blue Save the Day, introduces the role through a child-friendly narrative, with future titles planned on technical rescue, water safety and large-animal rescue.

“Most members of the public don’t really understand what we do,” she said. “And when you’ve got really well-educated people calling you a fireman, something’s got to change.”

Macleod is the only female national tactical adviser in the country and a fellow of the Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management. She is also active in mentoring and professional networks, particularly supporting women and under-represented groups within the sector.

Last November, she was named Most Influential Woman in Fire at the Excellence in Fire & Emergency Awards, recognition she sees as a platform rather than a finish line. Her message to others entering, or progressing within, the service is straightforward.

“Resilience is something that you need in by the bucket load. Sometimes you have good days, sometimes you have bad days, but resilience is the most important thing.”

For Macleod, leadership is not about visibility alone. It is about preparing for complex risk, planning for those who are most vulnerable, and building teams that reflect the communities they serve – including the borough she once simply called home.

She will continue those conversations on a national stage this year, speaking at the The Fire Safety Event in April and co-hosting the Local Resilience Forum conference at The Emergency Services Show in September, where she will focus on community resilience, operational leadership and technical rescue planning.

Listen to the full episode below.

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