Think you can become a firefighter? Jersey Fire and Rescue offer taster sessions

• ITV Channel's Katya Fowler reflects on a taster session at Jersey Fire and Rescue which put her through her paces and fears to the test

There's never a "normal day" in our office, but this one is definitely the furthest away from anything I usually do.

I was invited to Jersey Fire and Rescue Service to partake in their practical taster session.

The training sessions aim to give the public a sense of what training is like to become an on-call firefighter and encourage more people to apply.

Currently, there is only one female on-call firefighter on the island, and the service is urging more women to try out for part-time roles.

When I arrived, I was a bit concerned seeing the height of a ladder I was due to climb, but that was the least of my worries.

The session started with a cardio and strength timed exercise. It involved a lot of running and walking with heavy objects.

As you can imagine, it was hard work, but achievable.

However, there was no time to rest, as I was sent straight up that worryingly high ladder.

To my surprise, this didn't scare me at all. I think I was concentrating so much on making it up there, I barely had time to look around and see how far off the ground I was.

Once I'd made it up, the challenge was to hook my leg over the ladder, lean back, let go, and see what letter the instructor was holding on the ground.

Down I went and onto the final challenge of the day.

I had to don a face mask and crawl and climb through a series of corridors, making sure my left hand was touching the wall at all times.

Once I was on the other side, I thought my work was done, but no. I was blindfolded and had to do the same course backwards.

To my surprise, this part was less scary and claustrophobic than the first time around. I think because I had to concentrate so much, I wasn't paying attention to the small spaces we were in.

By the end of my time there, I was aching, sore, and tired, but completely buzzing from the adrenaline rush and endorphins.

In that moment, it made sense to me why people do this as either their full-time or part-time job and the hard work they put in, to ensure we are as safe as possible.

Two more welcome taster sessions will take place at Jersey Fire & Rescue HQ on Saturday 16 November and Tuesday 26 November, with a female-only taster session on Saturday 23 November

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