From left: Senior Aircraftwomen Lucy Tonge, Teresa Lewis and Ailsa Carruthers
[Picture: Cpl Steve Blake RLC, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]
Senior Aircraftwomen (SACs) Ailsa Carruthers, Teresa 'T' Lewis and Lucy Tonge make up half of the RAF's female firefighting team in Camp Bastion. It is the first operational experience for all three of them:
"It is a brilliant feeling to know that you are actually helping someone," said SAC Tonge.
Their role has seen them moving severely traumatised patients and working quickly and under pressure. SAC Lewis said:
"I have represented Great Britain at ice hockey for over ten years but I have temporarily traded the ice rink for the desert.
"Being out here is completely different to my daily life back home. You have to put your own feelings to the back of your mind and make sure that you are helping out the best you can."
All three women always wanted to be firefighters ever since they were young girls:
"Maybe I watched too much 'London's Burning' but I've always known this is the job for me," SAC Carruthers said.
This sentiment is shared by the others. And they all agree the tour in Bastion is living up to expectations. Not only are they doing the types of duties they are used to back at their home bases in Waddington, Brize Norton and Coningsby, but they are also working on a flight line with different aircraft types, including British and American.
There are also four US firefighters attached to the crew and the girls have enjoyed working with their coalition counterparts.
And in the spirit of Anglo-US relations, SAC Lewis, a tri-Service ice hockey player, has been practising her skills with her American colleagues, honing her technique on the basketball court when not on duty.
Chief Fire Officer, Warrant Officer Phil Walmsley, is delighted with the performance of his whole team:
"They have fitted in well to a male-orientated environment and like the rest of my team they have proved without doubt that they are highly capable," he said.