Three generations of the same firefighting family attended an extra special ceremony to mark the graduation of the latest recruit to join the ranks at Askern fire station.
Ellie Adams, aged 23, has become the third generation of her family to serve at Askern, Doncaster after completing her initial training and ‘passing out’ in front of family and friends at South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s Sheffield training base.
initial training
Amongst those watching were Ellie’s dad Steve Adams and grandad Michael Jackson who both served on-call at Askern Fire Station.
On-call firefighters are paid for their training, for being on-call, and for each incident they attend but they must live or work within a five-minute drive of their closest fire station.
Dad Steve's comment
Dad Steve, who retires from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue after 35 years of service later this month, said, “It was an incredibly proud day for the whole family. Firefighting isn’t something we’ve necessarily pushed on Ellie as a family, but as soon as she heard that we were recruiting at Askern fire station she wanted to give it a go."
"Like the rest of the recent recruits, she’s had to work hard to complete her initial training, but the way she’s applied herself to it all has made me proud.”
inspiration to sign up
Michael is father-in-law to Steve, who began work at Askern in 1987 before becoming a full-time firefighter
Ellie’s grandad Michael Jackson joined Askern Fire station in 1960 aged 17- combining his firefighting role with a full-time job at the nearby colliery. He rose to the rank of sub-officer, before retiring from the fire service in 1981.
He’d been inspired to sign up by his older brother Fred- a D-Day veteran who joined Doncaster Fire Brigade in 1947, before going on to become Chief Fire Officer in Hong Kong. Michael is father-in-law to Steve, who began work at Askern in 1987 before becoming a full-time firefighter with South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in 1996. He’s been there ever since, rising to the rank of Group Manager.
on-call firefighter recruitment
Daughter Ellie has followed in both their footsteps. She joined South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue in September after completing a pandemic-disrupted university degree. She’s been working towards completing her initial training, culminating in the ceremony.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue is currently recruiting on-call firefighters at Askern, Rossington, and Penistone fire stations.
