Dave Winspear

Employer: North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
Area of work: Fire and rescue service
Qualifications: BA outdoor and environmental studies with qualified teacher status, University of Lancaster

8.00 am

On arrival at the station I catch up with my colleagues to find out what their day’s work will entail. In the morning I hold meetings to get a full picture of the area I manage. So for example, we will discuss community or legislative fire safety and any station-based issues that need to be dealt with. I use these meetings to get an update of what my team are working on and to give them any feedback, on the necessary approach they should take.

9.30 am

I check my emails and draft a ‘to do’ list of tasks, prioritising jobs in order of their urgency. The majority of my work involves writing documents, plans and other correspondence and I try to communicate on a one-to-one basis as much as possible either by phone or in person.

11.00 am

I often attend meetings with colleagues or other organisations; this is a particular part of my job that I enjoy. The face-to-face interaction is always stimulating and the outcome is often more absolute than discussions via phone or e-mail.

1.00 pm

I stop for lunch and often go to the gym. I need to have a break from my work so that I can focus in the afternoon.

2.00 pm

It’s often quieter in the office after lunch so I try to plan my time so that I work on any complicated reports or write difficult letters in the afternoon. As I’m still operational, I can be called out at any time to respond to an emergency. It’s great that I still get to do this and it often leads to further tasks such as writing reports or reviews of equipment for example.

7.00 pm

I usually finish around 5.30 pm but sometimes I have to stay late to train the operational firefighters who work on a part-time basis. This is a satisfying part of my job though as it’s really important to ensure they develop all the skills they need.