COUNTY Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service are launching several initiatives to increase the number of females in the brigade.

Across the region, the percentage of females in the service is 4.5 per cent which has prompted the service to increase its numbers.

The brigade is exploring several avenues to encourage women and minority groups into the role including, career events at schools and positive action campaigns. The initiatives are aimed to change the stereotype of firefighters all being white males.

Apprenticeship schemes within the organisation are helping to increase diversity. The percentage of women enrolled in the scheme at County Durham and Darlington brigade is 50 per cent.

County Durham and Darlington’s assistant chief fire officer Sarah Nattress, joined the brigade in 1994 serving as a retained firefighter at Stanhope before joining the whole-time service in 1996. She then served in Cumbria Fire Service and Cleveland Fire Brigade before returning to County Durham and Darlington in 2000.

She said: “I would encourage more females to consider a career in the fire service, it’s given me an absolute wealth of opportunity since starting my career as a retained firefighter before progressing into the whole-time service, I have been successful in being promoted through the ranks up to the role of assistant chief fire officer within our organisation.

“The fire and rescue service is an absolutely fantastic career, it provides lots of opportunities, but most of all it provides the opportunity to help and provide assistance to your community.”