Interview with Firefighter Keiran Gilliam
Keiran Gillam, a firefighter on Green Watch at Manchester Central fire station Keiran Gilam, a firefighter on Green Watch at Manchester Central Fire Station keeps us up-to-date with his work each fortnight with his blog. We interviewed him to find out more about what he enjoys most about being a firefighter and what he finds most challenging.
How long have you been a firefighter?
I have worked as a firefighter for almost five years. I have always been based on Green Watch at Manchester Central Fire Station on Thompson Street (There are five watches in Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service – Red, Green, Amber, White, Blue).
Why did you decide to become a firefighter?
Prior to working as a firefighter, I had a job as an operator in our 999 Emergency Control Room in Swinton. When I started my job in our Control Centre I didn’t have any aspirations to be a firefighter. However, working in Control and speaking to firefighters everday I got a real understanding of what the job involved and that it would be right for me.
How did you find the recruitment process?
I was lucky that I managed to get onto the recruitment course on my first attempt. However the process took me 18 months in total to complete and it was very demanding.
What do you enjoy most about being a firefighter?
I do enjoy everything about the job – especially the comradery amongst the Watch. I also like to fact that you know you’ll hopefully help someone. I drive the fire engines as well which is fantastic. When the bells go and you turn out to a job, you never know what you’ll get.
What perception do you think the public have of firefighters and is it accurate?
I think the public really supported us before the strike but afterwards not as much but it is getting better as they are starting to understand more about our work such as the drive to arrive policy (we do not go to automatic fire alarms in most businesses on blue lights as in our experience less than 1% are actual fires). I don’t think however that the public understand what we do. As well as emergency incidents, we carry out free fire safety checks for the public, give fire safety talks at schools and community groups and have to do a great deal of training to keep our skills up to scratch. We also do not have beds anymore. However, the public should know that everytime we turn out of the doors and go to an incident, all our firefighters give 100% in what they are doing and who they are helping.
What incidents stand out in your memory?
Tragic incidents are always difficult to deal with and stick in your memory. The first time I ever used breathing apparatus at an incident was at a house fire. It was a terrible incident which involved fatalities. One of the girls pulled out of the fire was someone I actually knew.
What aspects of training do you enjoy?
I really enjoy breathing apparatus training and also it is an essential aspect of our job. We have to use breathing apparatus in any fire situation to protect us from the effects of smoke so the training keeps you prepared as you never know what job you will be going to. We have a smokehouse on the fire station to practice our skills in. This is a building used to create controlled fires for training purpose. We also use external venues such as old cellars etc to practice working in dark and difficult conditions.
Road traffic collision training is also useful. We attend a lot of accidents involving people trapped in vehicles. We have specialist cutting equipment to get the person out of the car and into an ambulance as soon as possible.
What is the most demanding aspect of being a firefighter?
Learning not to take things home is really important. However, because of the comradery we do talk about things which helps. Also, my partner Susan works in our Control Centre so she is really understanding.
What do you enjoy about community work?
I really enjoy open days. Also, I work on Learn Not To Burn, a fire safety quiz involving local primary schools. It really helps going into schools so the children can meet firefighters and learn about their job and see them as people. I think it helps to cut agression against us in teen years. I haven’t ever experienced an attack but I know firefighters who have been attacked.
Why do you want to write a blog?
I think it’s a really good opportunity for the public to gain a real understanding of our day to day work and what is involved.