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A bodybuilder is following in her late father's footsteps by tackling fires and saving lives.
Mum-of-one Kirsty Bylett spends her evenings working in paediatrics at the QEQM Hospital.
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But after the death of her firefighter dad, Alan, three years ago, the 30-year-old decided to become a crew member in Margate.
She said: "I’m just following in my dad’s footsteps. He’d be so chuffed to see me now.
"It was him passing away that made me realise I should achieve what I want to achieve.
"And then last year, my friend said Kent Fire and Rescue are recruiting for on-call firefighters - so I though I should just do it.
"From day one, I knew this is exactly what I wanted to do."
Kirsty provides day cover at the station in Grosvenor Gardens.
She lives a short distance from the base, which is one of the requirements of the on-call role.
If the crew is called to an emergency, Kirsty is alerted by a pager and within minutes, she is in a fire engine heading to an incident.
“The best part of being an on-call firefighter is the variety. Your pager goes off and you never know quite what you’re going to," she added.
“You turn up, see the smoke and realise this is actually a real fire. The buzz and adrenaline you get, I can’t describe it.
"When you’re up on that ladder and then you’re squirting the water, trying to put it out, while watching the others do what they’ve got to do, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
In her spare time, Kirsty trains for upcoming bodybuilding competitions and spends time with her 10-year-old daughter and family.
She said: “When people find out that I’m a paediatric nurse, I’m a mum, I’m into the gym and I’m an on-call firefighter, the first question usually is how do you juggle it all?”
“Being a woman in the fire service is quite an empowering feeling. To me, it doesn’t matter as no two firefighters are the same.
“Regardless of who you are, if this is a career you want to progress into, or you’re looking into, do a bit of research and if it’s for you, then I’d say go for it.”
Kirsty talks about being an on-call firefighter
On-call firefighters receive an annual wage that reflects the time they commit to being available, plus additional payments for certain activities.
They are expected to attend weekly training sessions, and be available for at least 50 hours a week.
If you would like to find out more about on-call opportunities at KFRS, please click here.
