Joyce Hicks joined the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) in 1939 as a trailer pump driver, three months before war broke out. She was promoted to Junior Officer before becoming Assistant Section Officer at Barnes Brigade headquarters. Eventually she was promoted to Staff Officer at the London Fire Brigade headquarters, when the National Fire Service (NFS) formed in 1941.
Within the NFS, Joyce was responsible for the fitness of female recruits. She oversaw the introduction of a compulsory medical and fitness test that all new recruits had to pass before joining. Prior to this it had not been compulsory for joining the AFS.
After the war Joyce continued to work in the Brigade until her retirement in March 1954.