Winnie hangs up her headset after after 37 years of service

Winnie Fleming joined Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service in February 1988 as a Firefighter Control and during her time has taken thousands of 999 calls, supported the response to major incidents and provided life-saving advice to people in their hour of need.

She said: “Working here has been about helping people. All I’ve ever wanted to do was try and help save a life if I could and by working in Control, I could be part of that – what a good opportunity it has been to make a difference.

“The job can be tough; working long hours and holidays whilst other people were at home. And at times it was stressful, but when you got that message to say someone had been saved or rescued, it made it all worthwhile.

“Working in Control is 100 per cent about working as a well-oiled team.  While one person is taking the call, another is getting the ambulance/police mobilised, and yet another is informing officers or contacting utility services.  By the time you've finished with your emergency caller most of the essential procedures are already in place.”

Throughout her time at the Service, Winnie has worked on all four of the different watches in Fire Control, alongside taking on other roles too including training, system management and coordination.

She was part of the response for some of the county’s big historical jobs including Yarlswood fire (2002) and more recently North Wing Hospital fire (2019), which was particularly emotive for her. Winnie explained: “I was born there, and my son was one of the last children to be born there, so it was sentimental and all I kept thinking was ‘please don’t burn down!’ But it didn’t, thankfully, because if it had, the emotional connection I had to it would have made that a tough one. 

“I remember one Christmas, just after lunch, someone had been visiting relatives and got into a road traffic collision. The crew worked on him, the ambulance came, but the message coming back was that he probably wasn't going to make it. A couple of hours later we found out the patient had made it, and that’s why we do what we do. It was worth working Christmas day just for that – that's why we do it.”

Reflecting on what had changed, Winnie highlighted the technology was somewhat different, although the Service had always been ahead of the curve. She explained: “BFRS was one of the smallest brigades in the country but the technology we had was optimum. We would have others visiting us to see what we were doing. We were pioneers.

“That first system was very basic compared to what we use now and we had to remember a lot more. These days, technology does a lot more for you. Your memory still has to be on point but when I started, you had to know every single parish and village in Bedfordshire!”

Fire Control has moved locations on site during Winnie’s tenure, procedures are different, along with the volume and type of incidents Fire Control now manage. She also explained how Fire Control is now considered a key part of the frontline and getting emotional and wellbeing support for the challenging calls they face has been a massive improvement.

Winnie said: “A lot has changed. Mobile phones were a game changer, and nowadays we can find fires a lot easier. What3Words has been a brilliant help in locating incidents. 

“The type of calls have shifted too; there used to be more cigarette fires, stubble fires, and cooking fires where people used deep fat fryers. We don’t see as many now, people are a lot safer and public campaigns and education have meant a lot of that has died out.”

She added: “The job is still the same though in its heart. Would I do it again? Absolutely, 100 per cent; you’re saving lives and helping people and there is no better job than that.”

Winnie celebrated her retirement on Friday (13 June), joined by her colleagues, friends and family, along with a presentation by the Chief Fire Officer Andy Hopkinson. 

CFO Hopkinson added: “Winnie’s long and dedicated career helping keep the firefighters and communities of Bedfordshire safe since 1988 is nothing short of remarkable. Not only has she done incredible life-saving work in Fire Control in her 37 years, but she has also contributed hugely to the progression and improvement of the Service during that time.a Just last year she was the winner of We Are Accountable Values Award for her work delivering the best incident reporting we have seen in years. Winnie’s resilience, determination and humanity will all be greatly missed and we thank her for her outstanding service.”