In August 2022, Steve's first book, "London Firefighter". 6 August 2022. was published. The book is a memoire of his career in London Fire Brigade from 1987 until he retired in 2018. The book do*ents his career where he attended some of the most significant incidents to befall London in recent decades. Writing and Media The Massey Shaw fireboat is an octogenarian. Like others in their 80’s not everything is as fit and well-oiled as things were in their 20’s or even mid-40s. The old girl needs constant maintenance and upkeep. That all cost money and as the most iconic fireboat in the UK I could not think of a better cause than my writing supporting the Massey Shaw Education Trust, its aims and, maybe, seeing this historic craft reach her 100 years and beyond.

As she had made her way to west London, Cotton, 48, had been listening to her brigade radio, which was transmitting messages between the control room and the fire ground, trying to form a picture of what awaited her. When she saw the blazing tower, any hope she had that loss of life would be avoided was extinguished. Our#firefightingsexism campaign challenged the outdated stereotype that only men can be firefighters.

Fireman

Keeley Foster, Deputy Assistant Commissioner and Head of Culture, Talent and Recruitment at London Fire Brigade said: “The fire service, much like any public service, needs to reflect the diversity of the society it serves. Modern firefighting is much more than just putting out fires, blue lights and sirens. It’s a varied role and there are many career paths that can be pursued within the organisation. It’s not a job just for men and it’s not a job just for women. The important thing is that women know that they have the option of joining, if that is something they would like to do. One small place to start could be renaming Fireman Sam. Her daughter, who would like to be an astronaut firefighter, putting out fires in space, used to rail at the TV, “It’s not fireman, it’s firefighter!” I’d guess she heard that from someone else. “I 100% think it should be Firefighter Sam. Language makes a difference,” she says.

That’s very difficult for me. I’m in charge of London fire brigade, and I was committing firefighters into something that was very unknown and very dangerous. I arrived at Aldersgate around 8 a.m. and most of the veterans had already arrived not wishing to miss the 10 a.m. start of the march. We were gathering at the former London Salvage Corps building, now in the ownership of the Brigade, and my attention was drawn of one veteran standing, alone, by the open appliance room doors looking out into Aldersgate Street. This dignified gentleman had tears filling his eyes when I tapped him on the shoulder to inquire if everything was alright? He turned to face me and the tears were falling onto his cheeks. When she was homeless, she spent some nights on the street, some in derelict buildings. These squats were better than hostels. “I could make a safe space, control it,” she says. She knew the exits, the threats. The calculations she made each night did not differ greatly from her incident commanders’ Decision Control Process. As she marks 40 years since she began her training, London’s first female firefighter Sue Batten has shared her memories of her career for the first time and called for more women to think about a job as a firefighter.It has a wealth of traditions and history, sometimes tragic, sometimes not, that can so easily be overlooked if it is not put in the public domain for people to share and to reflect on. In this book I was aided by individuals with a similar version of bringing aspects of the past to life with true stories of bravery and sacrifice and of fictional tales which shows the work of London’s fire brigade in all its guises. Early in her firefighting career, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton was on a shift, rushing towards an emergency call. A crew member had been badly injured. Her partner, Mike, was a member of the four-man team. Was he hurt? Was he alive? For the next four minutes and 37 seconds she tried to retain her composure. At the scene, she found that the injured firefighter wasn’t Mike (now her husband). The wave of relief that washed over her was followed immediately by another – of guilt, having felt relief at another colleague’s ill fortune. That second wave changed the course of her life. For most authors writing a book is not done on some frivolous whim but rather for serious good reasons. Certainly, you wish to see your work published, it is something that AM clearly understands, but they are not a charity. They are a publishing business and, like any business, without satisfied customers and positive results they don’t move forward, hopefully taking you as an author with them. I did a dynamic risk assessment and we knew we were going to be doing things that were not following our normal procedures. Had we just followed standard fire brigade procedures, we would not have been able to commit firefighters in and conduct the rescues we did. Daylight brought a new appreciation of the unfolding tragedy. “It became increasingly difficult just looking at the building and still knowing there were people in there. The pressure we all felt to keep trying and doing our best was immense.