Uroosa: “Being the first Hijabi firefighter in the UK is inspiring other women”
Firefighter Uroosa Arshid was inspired to become a Station Rep for the charity having dreamed of joining the fire service and making a difference since she was a child.
Real life story categories
Find out how Fire Fighters Charity has supported service users across the UK and how you can share your story with the fire community. Click categories or regions below to filter the list of stories.
For retired firefighter Nigel Brown, the fire service has become ingrained in his family history. Now he reveals why he is gifting part of his father’s estate to the charity, as a thank you for the years of support they’ve received. When Owen Spiers managed to overcome 20 years of addiction, he thought he’d finally beaten his demons. However, his mental health later hit rock bottom and he says the charity was a major lifeline. When Sean Michael was forced to resign from the job he loved as a firefighter due to illness, he struggled to cope amid Covid-19. But he says the support he received from the charity was life-changing. For firefighter Jim Johnson’s wife Karen, the charity has supported her not once, but twice - more recently providing a much-needed break following a cancer diagnosis. Now she’s urging anyone else struggling to reach out.
Nigel: “The charity helped our family, we wanted to give something back”
Owen: “It’s a safety net when you feel you’re going to step off the tight rope”
Sean: “I don’t know how we’d have survived without the charity’s help”
Karen: “For me it was a bit of a lifeline – I’d recommend anyone reach out”