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.
LFB firefighter Wayne Jackson has received our support in the past for both his physical and mental health, and more recently attended one of our Child and Family Weeks – which he says helped his autistic son hugely. Watch Manager Caroline Saunderson attended one of our Kickstart Programmes after feeling like she was in a rut. She says having a focused week, just for her, was exactly what she needed to rejig her lifestyle. Firefighter Hayley Chesterman had never used our services before her husband was left hospitalised with a blood infection – but she says seeing the support he’s had has made her feel “protected” in the years ahead. Northern Ireland firefighter Keith Shields faced months off work when he was left dealing with long-term symptoms of Covid-19 – before being told he had three blocked arteries in his heart. He says our Hope Programme helped him deal with the mental toll it had on him. Firefighter Rachel Streeting, from Warwickshire FRS, received our support following a back injury which she feared could end her career on operational duty – and she says we helped her mental health, as well as physical.
Wayne: “When you hit a brick wall you need a circuit breaker – the Charity helped us find that”
Caroline: “You’ve got to look after yourself before you can try to help someone else”
Hayley: “You helped my husband’s recovery after a spider bite left him in hospital for weeks”
Keith: “The Hope Programme helped remove all the anxiety and pressure I was feeling”
Rachel: “You helped me gain the mental confidence to carry my job out after recovery”
