Tasab Nabi, a full time firefighter at Mansfield Road fire station, is backing SYFR's recruitment awareness campaign, which bids to make the organisation more representative of the communities it serves.

Tasab said: "Being a firefighter is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference to people's lives and serve a public which really appreciates the work that you do.

"Some British asian families might not consider firefighting as a career as it is not traditionally associated with being an academic job, but there are plenty of opportunities for attaining training and qualifications along the way.

"Personally, I am really into my fitness so in that respect the job is ideal. But whilst you do need to be physically fit, the tests and selection process are not beyond reach. I would recommend anyone, whatever their background, gets in touch to find out more about a career in the fire service.

Women are also being targeted in the awareness campaign, with females urged to come forward and find out more about firefighting as a career.

SYFR Director of Service Development Mark Shaw said: "Perceptions of the fire service as being a white male dominated organisation are changing and here in South Yorkshire we have already come a very long way, with female and BME firefighters on the front line at fire stations all over the county.

"But at the same time we fully accept that we still have a long way to go before we become truly representative of the communities which we serve. The role of a firefighter has changed considerably in recent years, and we now play a vital social role, including youth work, fire safety initiatives and carrying out free home safety checks.

"The aim of this campaign is to give under represented groups an insight into what the role and selection process entails, and hopefully make them think about a career they may never have considered before."

Awareness sessions and recruitment days are being held throughout January and February to help clarify and dispel many of the preconceptions people from under-represented areas of the community might have about joining the fire service.

A trainee full time firefighter earns more than £20,000 and almost £28,000 once fully qualified.

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