24-06-2025
South Wales female firefighters attended training event
Nine representatives from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) attended the Women in the Fire Service (WFS) National Training and Development Event 2025, held earlier this month.
The three-day event brought together women from all areas of the fire and rescue sector—including operational, corporate, and support staff—for workshops, leadership sessions, and hands-on training.
Beci Newton, station manager, attended for the first time as an instructor.
She said: "Despite having been a firefighter for 18 years this is my first WFS weekend.
"I've come not as a delegate but as an instructor and it's an honour to be teaching high-rise at such a prestigious institution.
Attendees had a hands on experience (Image: South Wales Fire and Rescue Service)
"This event is about empowering each other, sharing knowledge and showing that leadership has many faces; and all of them belong in the fire and rescue service."
Attendees participated in sessions covering incident command, wildfire response, high-rise firefighting, fire behaviour training, and fire investigation.
Other workshops focused on confidence building, professional development, and mental health.
Clare Amor, crew manager at Duffryn Station and SWFRS regional representative for Women in the Fire Service UK, said: "This is the 23rd WFS UK event.
"All 52 services are attending plus delegates from Southern Ireland, Jersey, and Ghana this year.
The aim of the three days was to empower each other (Image: South Wales Fire and Rescue Service)
"The reason for this event is to empower and encourage women in our fire services across the UK.
"It enables operational and corporate delegates to be involved in realistic fire and rescue scenarios and workshops that will help enable them to reach their full potential.
"This will then inspire confident, successful women to return to their service and help build a more progressive fire service.
"SWFRS wanted to offer all their staff the same opportunities so last year we held the first WFS Cymru event for all Wales for 'all employees' at Cardiff Gate and our planned 2025 event in October is already half full."
The weekend reinforced SWFRS' commitment to building a more inclusive and supportive workforce, and to investing in professional growth for all staff.
