A former international rugby player who’s turned her hand to firefighting in London has won a national award.
Firefighter Rebecca Rowe, who is on Blue Watch at Paddington Fire Station, has scooped the Firefighter Rising Star Award in the Women in the Fire Service Awards 2022.
Before joining London Fire Brigade in 2018, Firefighter Rowe competed in four world championships in three different sports. She was double world champion and world record holder in an event in surf lifesaving, took European bronze and was placed fourth at the world championships in rowing and competed in three Six Nations tournaments and a world cup in rugby.
Firefighter Rowe, who is one of an all-female team training to ski coast-to-coast across Antarctica in 2023, was nominated by her colleague Nikki Upton, who described her as having demonstrated huge determination throughout her life.
She said she had been a visible role model for women as a professional athlete, and had shown a huge level of resilience when faced with career ending injuries. She described her colleague’s passion and drive to see other women succeed as infectious, saying her love of the job was so clear to see that Firefighter Rowe’s fiancé Kirsty also applied to be a firefighter.
Firefighter Rowe said being a firefighter appealed to her as it’s such a diverse job and no day is the same.
“I’m very shocked and honoured to win the award as there are so many other amazing firefighters out there, “ she said.
“I don’t do the job for praise, but to make someone’s worst day slightly better if I can.
“For me – it’s the best job in the world and it never feels like a job.”
London Fire Commissioner Andy Roe said: “This is a huge achievement and everyone at London Fire Brigade is extremely proud of Firefighter Rowe for winning this much deserved award.
“She is an excellent role model for all our staff and we hope that her story will encourage people from all backgrounds and particularly women to consider a fire service career.”
London's Emma Watling was also nominated in the WFS award – for the Exceptional Allies Award for her work in forming the Brigade’s FireChoir in November 2018.
Firefighter Watling had the role of Choir Leader and her enthusiasm kept the choir motivated throughout the pandemic and her kind, compassionate and caring nature was described as “a beacon of light and love” in dark times.