Hampshire and Isle of Wight FRS employ at least 10 reservists who work in various roles across the organisation, including both wholetime and on-call firefighters, as well as within our support staff teams.
Reservists give up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces, balancing their civilian life with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve as part of the military.
The Service also employs a number of Cadet Force Adult Volunteers.
Alongside his on-call firefighter role at Romsey, Aidan Cooper has served as a Royal Military Police Officer for more than 17 and a half years, which has seen him take on multiple deployments to Afghanistan, and has shaped who he is today. He said:
“Serving as a reservist has allowed me to contribute operationally alongside colleagues, whilst also developing skills in leadership, discipline, teamwork and working under pressure.
“Balancing my reservist role with my fire service commitments requires strong levels of organisation, communication and flexibility, but both roles complement each other well.
“I see the same sense of teamwork and camaraderie between on-call and wholetime firefighters as I have experienced in the military.
“The fire service’s support and understanding of my reservist responsibilities, makes a real difference, with the organisation recognising the value which reservists bring.
“Many of the skills developed through military service, such as leadership, resilience, decision-making, communication and staying calm under pressure, are directly transferable into the fire service.”
Richard Glasspool served as a deckhand supporting the Royal Navy Army worldwide during the nineties, before moving into the fire service. For the past 17 years, Richard has also served as a reservist. He said:
“Wearing two hats can be difficult at times, it requires a lot of commitment and dedication, but it is also incredibly rewarding.
“I still wanted to play my part, which is why I became a reservist back in 2008, and fortunately I’ve been brilliantly supported by my colleagues in the fire service, allowing me the flexibility to undertake both roles.
“The fire service and military are closely linked in so many ways, and that is something we can all be proud of.”
Members of the FireFORCES group are representing the organisation at the Armed Forces Day national event taking place in Aldershot this weekend, before attending the HMS Collingwood open day on Saturday 4th July where they will be putting on taster skills sessions.
FireFORCES Chair, Luke Holdcroft said:
“With a large naval base in Portsmouth, a major Royal Air Force base at Odiham, the Army Headquarters in Andover and the home of the British Army in Aldershot, our area is intrinsically connected with the armed forces, so it’s vital as an organisation we build those relationships at events such as Armed Forces Day, to understand this community.
“The fire service is set to recruit for wholetime firefighters, and we want to showcase to members of the armed forces, what a brilliant career option it is for anyone looking to leave the military.”
The FireFORCES group aims to bring together and streamline all strands of work within HIWFRS involving the armed forces, both internally within the Service, as well as out with our communities. These include veterans, reservists, cadet leaders and families of those serving in the armed forces.
The network group also seeks to provide a supportive network to employees who are part of our armed forces community.
The network group works alongside our already established groups which support ethnic diversity, gender equality, those with disabilities and the LGBTQ+ community.
The Reserve forces play a crucial role in national security from countering security threats, peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts abroad to supporting communities at home.
One week you could be at your desk, the next, deploying thousands of miles across the world to uphold global peace and security.
