Pete Wakefield has been a huge supporter of ours throughout his career – despite never having received our help himself until recently.
The firefighter, who recently appeared on popular (and incredibly challenging) TV show SAS Who Dares Wins, runs The Firefighters Podcast and uses his social media channels to spread the word about the support we offer our beneficiaries.
Here, he shares why raising awareness with not only the UK fire service – but the public too – is so important to him:
“One of the biggest barriers in the emergency services is our reluctance and/or inability to communicate our challenges and struggles,” says Pete.
“We need to be out there talking about what we do. People need to realise we’re a safe place to receive help from.
Source: Channel 4 / Pete Dadds
“I just wanted to stick my head above the parapet – that makes it authentic and real.
“That openness stretches to people reaching out for support as early as they can. There’s so many people that have listened to the podcast that have reached out for support from the Charity. Spreading that message is incredibly important.
“I want my podcast to be a bridge between people accessing support from the Charity and also understanding and appreciating what the emergency services do.”
Pete appeared on the 2023 series of SAS Who Dares Wins, but was forced to pull out early after snapping a tendon in his knee. It meant he had to take extended time off work, and he reached out for our support in his recovery – with a stay at Jubilee House, our centre in Cumbria.
Source: Channel 4 / Pete Dadds
“I wanted to go on the show and be authentic – an ambassador for the emergency services,” adds Pete. “I loved the experience and I was really gutted to have to pull out – but there’s a lesson there…
“We’re all going to go through challenges and setbacks, you can do everything right and still get hurt and injured, but it’s knowing the support you have around you and reaching out for that.
“The FFC has helped me get back into the job that I love and helped me realise with the right level of support and guidance, I can continue to contribute to the emergency services and ultimately hopefully have a long and fulfilling career.
“The knowledge of the physios, the incredible facilities, the emotional intelligence of some of the support staff, going out for walks and connecting with other firefighters, while getting better awareness of my own injury – it all worked together during my stay. It inspired me to realise I could make a full recovery and it wasn’t the be all and end all.”
To find out more about The Firefighters Podcast, listen or enquire about speaking on it, email Thefirefighterspodcast@gmail.com.
