Pat Goulbourne has been a firefighter for 14 years and is now Watch Manager at East Ham fire station
What did you do before you joined London Fire Brigade?
I’d had a number of jobs. I worked for London Underground for 12 years and also in music production, where I worked in studios owned by Stock, Aitken and Waterman and Phil Collins .
What made you apply for a job as a firefighter?
I wanted to do something that was fulfilling, exciting and helped people, something that enabled me to look in the mirror at the end of each day and know that I’d done a worthwhile job.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Every time you attend even the smallest incident you feel as though you’ve made a difference. A couple of years ago we were called to a fire where we saved this guy’s daughter’s Christening dress. You are turning up on the worst day of someone’s life to do something for them.
Is it all about fighting fires?
Far from it. We’re now just as involved in ensuring fires don’t happen in the first place. The fire stations that I’ve worked at are integral to the community so you get the opportunity to build up relationships with people. You are not just a uniform, people will recognise you and you get the chance to go and meet and educate them about fire safety in their homes, schools and work places. If you visit a school to talk about fire safety the message will stick with the kids and they will pass it on to their parents. In just one hit you can reach a number of generations and leave a lasting legacy of fire safety in the community.
Why do you think it’s important that the Brigade’s work force includes people from a range of backgrounds?
Everyone brings something different. At a recent fire I attended, a lady was refusing to leave her flat. She didn’t seem to be responding to the male firefighters on the watch so I sent in a female firefighter to talk to her and we had her out in under a minute. I’ve also got a Polish guy on my watch. Having a range of people across your team improves our ability to communicate with the diverse communities that we work in. It makes a huge difference.
Doing this job I’ve also found that you can often be in a position to prompt people to consider a career in the Brigade, especially those who may not have thought about it before. I remember a woman saying to me that I was the first black firefighter she’d seen. You cannot underestimate how powerful it is when people see you out there on the street. Just your presence can be enough to trigger someone to think “maybe I could do that.” It’s all about influences and hopefully I’m a part of that.
