Find out how The Fire Fighters Charity has supported beneficiaries 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.
It has been 11 years since Hampshire firefighters Jim Shears and Alan Bannon were killed in a fire in Shirley Towers, Southampton. For Jim’s widow, Carla, running and fundraising for the Charity that supported her family in the aftermath of the tragedy became an important part of her healing. When Hayward's Heath firefighter Mark Butler passed away in May, he left behind him a legacy that will never be forgotten in Sussex. His daughter, Megan, shares how the Charity helped her process her grief in the months that followed, and why she'll always see West Sussex Fire and Rescue as her extended family. As the wife of a former Devon and Somerset firefighter, Dawn Colton says she will be forever grateful that her husband had somewhere to turn for help while on the verge of a breakdown. Realising recovery from surgery couldn't be an overnight fix was the biggest lesson Sheffield Crew Manager Paul Holbrook took away from his time with The Fire Fighters Charity. That and how much he appreciated having his family around him to cheer him on. A last-minute stay at Marine Court gave single parent Claire Allen and her son Josh the time and space they needed to find peace, both with themselves and each other. Here the former retained firefighter from Devizes shares why she thinks people should cast aside embarrassment and ask for help when they need it. 
Carla: “I hope Jim is proud of me. I like to think he is.”
Megan: “I had to relearn who I was, not just the girl whose dad had died”
Lee & Dawn: “It gave our family some laughter we’d been struggling to find at the time”
Paul: “I realised recovery isn’t an overnight thing.”
Claire: “If you can’t ask for yourself, do it for your loved ones”
