Over the last three decades Sophie has seen a great deal of change within WYFRS, from equipment upgrades to the more unusual – a haircut rule change.
In the 1990s, hair had to be “clear of the collar” which meant committing to a radical chop, Sophie explains.
“I looked like 14-year-old boy when I joined,” she jokes.
“It was basic health and safety. And because 99.9% [of firefighters] were male, they naturally had their hair short anyway because they were training.”
Working in a male-dominated field was something that Sophie says she “was not concerned about” but was conscious of as her “own worst critic”.
“I felt like I had to work harder. I knew people would be keeping their eyes on me just because I was different,” she says.
In her early years of career she was a single parent, raising two young children and juggling shift patterns with the help of her family.
“The hardest thing was when I’d have a busy night shift and come home when the children were not at school,” she laughs.
“I remember praying for them to have a nap in the day.”
It wasn’t unusual for the collective family bedtime to be just before 20:00 BST, just so Sophie could catch up on some sleep.
