Rebecca "Bex" Openshaw-Rowe | Bridgend, South Wales

“I like helping people, I've just always been drawn to that.”

- Firefighter Rebecca “Bex” Openshaw-Rowe

Firefighter Rebecca "Bex" Openshaw-Rowe has always tried to make people’s lives a bit easier, a bit better. In her earlier years, she was a lifeguard, did professional sports, and eventually became a high school PE teacher. In her early twenties, she considered joining the fire service, but her vision wasn’t 20/20 and she wore glasses, so she was not able to pursue a career in firefighting at that time.

“That's probably my one regret. I wish I'd done it earlier. But you know, I still have had a brilliant life and have done amazing things as well. And it maybe it's a good thing that I started it later in life.”

What initially inspired you to join the fire service?

When Bex was 37, after she had been teaching PE for several years, some friends in the fire service encouraged her to join, explaining that technology had changed everything, and that her vision would no longer be an issue. She decided to apply, to enter the hiring process, and to see what happened. By the time that she reached the interview stage, she realized that this career move could be a reality.

“From teaching PE to being in the fire service! And I'd say I've not regretted it one bit! It's been an absolute brilliant job.”

Bex was primarily drawn to the job because she liked helping people. And it was also appealing that every day on the job was new and different; sometimes seeing sad things, sometimes going to interesting places where other people are not allowed to go (e.g., the roof of Buckingham Palace).

“I suppose I love that little adrenaline burst you get when you go into a burning building or when you're cutting someone out of a car. Probably only real firefighters would know about things like that.”

Today, Bex is a firefighter at the Port Talbot Fire Station in Mid and West Wales Fire Services.

Is there a message you'd like to share with others in the fire service?

Bex believes in experiencing life. Within the fire department, one can choose to have many experiences beyond the day and night shifts. She encourages other firefighters to take opportunities when they come along. By agreeing to try something different, by doing something extra, by helping on a project, one might find surprising experiences:

“I've ended up working at Wimbledon Tennis Championships for two years through the fire service. I've entered this crazy expedition to the Antarctic through the fire service. I've met some amazing people through the fire service. So, if you just sit and just do your job, you're really missing out.”

What do you like to do outside of work?

Bex loves to be active. Together with her partner and their two dogs, they have a fun time on the beach, hiking, training the dogs, surfing.

Bex training for her expedition to the South Pole.

Currently, much of Bex’s time is spent preparing for an exciting expedition from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole, a route of 1139 km. They will be carrying with them everything they need to survive. They will be unguided, unsupported, and unassisted, and they will have to deal with freezing temperatures of -50 degrees with wind and chill and hurricane force winds. It will take about 45 days. Bex explains that one of her greatest concerns is the level of hunger she will experience.  She will have to consume around 5000 to 6000 calories a day but will be burning more than 8,000 calories a day. In trial hikes, she was constantly starving.

“I've never felt so hungry. I was starving every minute of every day, and I was piling in calories. Yeah, it was constant. Wake up, hungry. Hungry all day. It was crazy.”

Another concern is the cold. Bex explains that in Antarctica, it is 24 hours of daylight, so the extreme cold will not be due to nighttime temperatures but rather to the wind chill during the day when they are awake and moving.

During the entire expedition, Bex will have a dedicated person from a logistics company tracking her and her whole team for communication purposes, to pass on weather information, and to ensure their safety.

By embarking on this Antarctica expedition, Bex is providing an example for all women, showing them that they too can exceed the expectations that society has set for females.

What changes do you foresee in the fire service in the next five years?

Bex sees the fire service as a shifting culture.  In the next few years, it will become a more inclusive and equal place to be. She sees that the roles of the firefighters will change as well, going in the direction of co-responding and casualty care, as well as spending more time in the ambulance,

Bex wonders whether the advances in technology and prevention, together with the increase in fire safety education will prevent more fires, resulting in less calls for firefighters.

“We will always be needed but then, the question will be, how many people will be needed?”

Can you share a story to cap off this article?

Bex shares a funny story about when they answered a fire alarm during a wedding celebration:

“We recently went out on a call to a place called Market, where they were having a massive wedding in this country park, with big old beautiful buildings and an orange tree. So, the fire alarm went off. It was about 10pm at night and as soon as we pulled up in the truck, all the people, every single guest at the wedding, came running: ‘Oh my god, the strippers are here!’ They had all had a few drinks as well and they just did not believe that there was a real fire alarm and that we were real fire fighters. We had to go in and check it out, and everyone was running around us. We kept saying, ‘no, no, this is an actual call.’ It was hilarious!”

As a final word to female firefighters, Bex encourages them to research other women firefighters and to become empowered by their stories. She invites women enter the profession themselves, exploring their own capabilities. They might be surprised to find that they are much stronger and more able than they suspected, and like Bex, they just might find themselves being an inspiration to women around the globe.

Bex will head out on her expedition to the South Pole alongside Georgina Gilbert this November.