Uroosa Arshid, a firefighter at the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, has received the award for the ‘Young Person Role Model Award’ at the Women in the Fire Service Awards 2022.
Women in the Fire Service UK is a non-profit organisation that collaborates with others in order to realize equality in the fire service department.
The ‘Young Person Role Model Award’ recognises individuals who have engaged in, and inspired conversations, actions, and outcomes around equality and diversity issues and actively embody the motto “if you can see it, you can be it”.
Damien West, Uroosa’s colleague, and nominator, revealed how Uroosa sharing her story with the world led to her becoming a role-model to many people because of her passion, enthusiasm and determination to succeed. Many of those who have been inspired by Uroosa have written to thank her for sharing her story.
As stated by Craig Parkin, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service: “Uroosa is a fantastic firefighter and being able to tell her story has now given young people around the world hope that they can achieve their dreams of becoming a firefighter, no matter who they are.”
Uroosa Arshid joined the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service in 2019 as an apprentice. When appointed, she became the first firefighter to wear a hijab in the United Kingdom. Besides her recent award of the ‘Young Person Role Model Award,’ Uroosa also caught attention for her exceptional contributions at the West Bridgford Fire Station, and was nominated for multiple national awards.
When asked about the award, Uroosa replied: “It is such an honour to have been nominated and to have won this award. It is an overwhelming feeling because it is not something I set out to do, I just wanted to achieve my dream of becoming a firefighter.”
