“For me, it’s my dream job and I never let my dyslexia beat me."
Adam White, 28, is a retained firefighter based at Bedworth Fire Station. Adam was a Young Firefighter in his teenage years and always dreamed of joining the Fire Service, holding the career up as the path he wanted to follow in life.
Adam has dyslexia and while it can generate some challenges for him, he does not let the condition define him.
“I became a retained firefighter in 2016 on my fifth attempt at applying and I had been struggling with the written parts of the recruitment process such as the maths and English testing due to my dyslexia. The recruitment team were really supportive during my applications and offered me different ways to learn and types of support too. As a Young Firefighter, I was quite familiar with the practical and theoretical parts of the role and knew I could perform the role of a firefighter.”
"I kept trying, year after year, and I put in a lot of work to get over any obstacle that was in front of me. As they say, ‘if you don’t succeed, try and try again’ and I would break down anything I found challenging into little chunks.”
Adam made sure that he was fit enough for the physical parts of the recruitment process by developing his cardio fitness and training a variety of muscle groups.
“I made sure that I worked on lots of different muscles including my triceps, and areas in my neck, back and shoulders to prepare me. I practiced some of the drills and wanted to be in good shape.”
Adam felt extremely satisfied when he passed his retained recruitment process. He said: “It was an outstanding feeling for me and my family and my next goal is to join Wholetime. As a firefighter I have faced many challenges, and experienced many knockbacks, but the support from colleagues and the Service has always been there.”
Adam demonstrates the resilience and determination that makes Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service the best it can be.
This is the difference you make, working for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.
If you think you’ve got what it takes, go to www.warwickshire.gov.uk/wholetimefirefighters