Name: Tracey Garrett
Station/Watch: Kingswood/White
Age: 33
Height: 5ft 7’’
Weight: 12 stone
Year joined AF&RS: March 2003 (on my 30th birthday!)
Previous job: Fitness instructor and chef
Position at AF&RS: Firefighter
Hobbies: Rugby, cycling, weights, general fitness and spending time with my husband and son.
Favourite food: Anything that does not move! 
Favourite drink: Cider
Favourite place: Sydney Harbour, Australia
Hero: Tyler Garrett – my husband
Claim to fame: Beating one of my colleagues in the Bath memorial race.  
Why did you want to become a firefighter? I wanted a challenging job where I could help people and I prefer a male dominated environment. I also like to drink tea!
Did you have any fears about becoming a firefighter? Yes, seeing dead bodies (but luckily we don’t deal with them too often) and fitting in with the boys.
Did you do much physical training before joining AF&RS? Yes, I have been playing rugby since I was 18. I do various activities such as running, cycling, weights and circuits to keep fit for rugby.
How hard did you find training school? Strength-wise it was quite tough. I didn’t think that the entry test reflected that. I was disappointed that we didn’t do any fitness training at training school, so my fitness suffered. I found the studying hard and went home tired every night.
How was your first day on shift? Great! I had already met my watch a few times before and felt quite at ease. It was a night shift and my first shout was a petrol can on fire. I didn’t even get off the pump, but it was great driving to it with the sirens on.
How do you find working in a mainly male dominated workforce? I have worked with all men and all women and I much prefer working with all men. Although blokes love to gossip, there are no hard feelings - if there is a disagreement it is forgotten quickly. Before I joined the service I was concerned that when I got on station I would have a hard time fitting in, but from the day I met my watch they made me feel very welcome.
I am sure that they had their doubts as I was the first woman on my station but they never put that message across. I don’t think they treat me like a woman, just one of the boys.
Is there any support in place for female firefighters?
Yes, the ‘Women’s Action Group’ is a support network always on hand to answer any questions and generally be very helpful and supportive. 
What is your most memorable moment at work? Whilst playing badminton I managed to serve to my Crew Manager, he went short but the shuttlecock went long – it was the best point I have ever won! I know it does not sound like much of an accomplishment but he is really good and I am really not! Badminton is also a big thing on the watch!
What has been your most embarrassing moment at work? I had just showered, I was wearing only a towel and I slipped. I went down like a sack of potatoes. It was mortifying, there I was naked (having just had a baby so not feeling my best) I could hear one of my colleagues coming around the corner and luckily I managed to scrabble up and put my towel on. Now I always leave the shower room dressed!
If a female said to you they wanted to join AF&RS what would your response be?
I would definitely recommend it. It is a fantastic job and still a job for life but certainly not as glamorous or as busy as people imagine. It is more about prevention these days, which of course is very important, but we still need to focus on response.
All of my colleagues constantly take the mickey out of me, but it is never nasty, and they are decent people so never cross the line. Plus I like to be able to have a good go back, we laugh at ourselves and each other all day, it’s great!
There is a lot of banter, obviously we are together for long shifts, we eat together and sleep in the same room whilst on night duty which may not suit some people, but for me it is like being part of a family. We all look out for each other, we like to socialise as much as we can, so you could say we quite like each other!
My advice would be go and talk to a female on a fire station and get a feel for it. It could be the best thing you have ever done.