Following in the footsteps: Canberra’s first father-daughter duo in ACT Fire and Rescue
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On a warm summer’s morning, with the sky the brightest shade of blue, the sun is shining down on 16 people standing to attention dressed in heavy yellow firefighter suits.
Among them is Claire Beath, graduating from the ACT Fire and Rescue College 51.
While today is a special day for all the firefighters, Claire’s got her eye set on the man sitting at the front waiting to hand her the graduation certificate.
The man? Her own father.
While there have been numerous father-son duos over time (including two in this graduating cohort), Claire’s graduation officially marks the first father-daughter duo in ACT Fire and Rescue.
“It’s special because it is almost a full circle moment, having a Dad that was in the service for 27 years,” Claire shares.
“As a kid you grow up knowing that’s what your parent does as a job but not fully understanding it until you start to explore it as a potential career option.”
The group has just finished their 21-week intensive training program, with demanding workloads.
“You’d come to college for an eight o’clock start but you’d get here earlier so it’s never really eight o’clock,” Claire says.
“They’re long days and then when you clock off you go home and study and there’s a certain level of demand to keep your physical fitness up as well so it is all-consuming, but you know that there’s one of the best jobs in the world at the end of the tunnel so you can sort of push through it.”
In such a job like this, teamwork is a massive factor with the college of 16 there for each other and supporting development.
The group is mainly men, and while Claire says they were incredibly inclusive and one big team, she says the women found a strong bond.
“There’s three of us. It’s been awesome because obviously there’s a certain level of connection between us females where we can sort of go did you find that really hard I found that really hard or did you find that really easy?”
“It’s nice to have that sisterhood.”
Even with the support of her peers and the mental health support provided by the service, there’s nothing like a phone call to home when things are feeling tough.
“Early on in the college, there were a couple of phone calls to Dad saying I don’t know if I can do this, I don’t know if I’m cut out for it. He was very reassuring just saying keep at it, keep going, just trust the process.”
“Having a father as a role model saying yeah this is absolutely something you can do, put your hat in the ring and see how you go [is reassuring].”
Even though he’s now retired from the service, Jim Beath knew the experience his daughter was going through and was happy to provide support.
“If we didn’t hear from her for a while, I knew things were going ok. She’d only ring when things were a bit hard,” Jim says.
“She’d ring Mum and Dad when things are a bit tough, that’s what we’re for.”
As for those phone calls of doubt, Jim had an answer as to where they were coming from.
“It was just fatigue, that’s all it was as far as I’m concerned and because I know what it was like, [the training is] pretty hard, it’s pretty intense, you’re surrounded by people who don’t always carry their own weight, sometimes you have to carry other people as well.”
“I never said quit, I said don’t ever quit because the payoff at the end is worth it, just for the lifestyle alone, not just for the job.”
Before today, only seven per cent of ACT Fire and Rescue’s team were women.
This is slowly changing, with the team constantly pushing for more women to sign up and consider this career pathway.
“As Dad kept saying to me, you’ll do things you never thought you’d be able to do and you get paid for it. The culture is amazing, it’s a very supportive family culture within the brigade.”
As for what the training activities are like? It’s like something out of a ‘Mission Impossible’ movie.
“Driving trucks, climbing off towers, using giant tools to cut open cars, they’re things I never thought I’d be able to do or be paid to do either, so that culture is definitely shifting where anything men can do, women can do as well and we just need to trust it.”
“You have to be strong, so if you’re not strong that’s something you’ll have to work on, but not having a trade background isn’t the be all and end all, it’s skills that you will learn and they’ll train you in college, so those are things you can gain.”
Claire is now looking ahead to the future, with a clear mindset for the very short time between graduation and her first day.
“Just don’t take the foot off the gas, keep going. My first shift is on Christmas day so straight into it and I’m really excited to get out on shift and be a sponge, just absorb as much information and skills as possible.”
As for being the first father-daughter duo in ACT Fire and Rescue? They both agree it’s special, but Claire is also ensuring she doesn’t get lost in the shadow of his career and is building her own place in the brigade.
“I definitely think I’m following in his footsteps, but I am my own person so hopefully I’m forging my own path as well, but it’s nice to have him support me and have my back.”
For more information on joining the service, click here.
Photography: ESA.
