SCHULL Fire Brigade has welcomed its first ever retained female member as it marks 40 years of safeguarding the lives and properties of the Mizen peninsula.
Kate Phillips, who is originally from Dublin, but has strong West Cork roots, is the newest recruit to Schull Fire Station and is proof that drive and perseverance does indeed pay off after initially been turned down for the role.
Speaking to The Southern Star, Kate, who moved to the seaside village in 2016, previously spent time volunteering with the Coast Guard, which she also loved.
‘I had seen the recruitment drive ad for retained firefighters in the county and applied for it, but didn’t get it unfortunately,’ said Kate.
‘However, in January of this year, it came up again and I went for the interview. I was number one on the panel and was absolutely blown away to have been accepted. I wasn’t going to be put off with the first refusal and I had been encouraged by chief station officer Paul O’Brien to apply again.’
Once she accepted the job, Kate underwent a medical, which was followed by three weeks of ‘recruiting’ in learning how to be a firefighter.
‘That training was intense and physical because we were dealing with ladders and hoses as well as car cutting.
‘Thankfully, I passed my training and was “on the run” for the June bank holiday weekend.’ She is getting well used to the routine and dropping everything when her alerter goes off. Living just outside Schull and working part-time helps her when an alarm is raised. She praised her male colleagues who, she said, have been very encouraging since she joined the crew.
‘I must say they have been brilliant and I really feel part of the team. I have loved visiting the local schools and showing youngsters that it’s possible to become a retained firefighter if you are female.’
She said that, along with her colleagues, she remembers the late Danny Sheehan fondly, who served as a firefighter in Schull and passed away in December 2016.
Kate’s callouts so far have been to assisting ambulances and attending road traffic collisions, but having the experience of volunteering with the Coast Guard means she is prepared if she encounters tragic or dangerous incidents.
‘I will have to complete more training of course, and I will be taking part in a two-week breathing apparatus course in the near future,’ she said. Kate’s advice to anyone interested in becoming a retained fire fighter is to go for it.
‘The worst they can say is you haven’t got it this time, and they encourage you to go for it again, which is what I did. I haven’t looked back since. ‘
