Women in the Fire Service UK

What Women in the Fire Service UK does

Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS) is a national not-for-profit organisation operating since the early 1990s (incorporated 2008, rebranded from Networking Women in the Fire Service in 2014) to advance gender equality across the UK fire and rescue service. The organisation is led by a Chair, Vice Chair, and a National Executive Committee of up to 28 elected members, with eight named Patrons providing honorary advisory support, and operates with a small professional staff team of 3-4 people based in Norfolk. WFS targets two primary customer segments: individual supporters of equality in the fire service (men and women, UK and international) and corporate member organisations, primarily UK fire and rescue services, of which over 50 hold corporate membership spanning England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Crown dependencies.

WFS's product portfolio centres on a tiered membership model, an annual National Training and Development Event (24th edition in June 2026 at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh), a Women's Development Programme delivered in partnership with Women to Work, a Future Firefighter Podcast series hosted on RedCircle, a job board for fire sector vacancies, a merchandise shop powered by Kit Factory, and a periodic awards programme. The underlying technology stack is deliberately lightweight and outsourced: individual membership runs on membermojo.co.uk, event registration uses Microsoft Forms, the podcast is hosted on RedCircle, and merchandise fulfilment is handled by Kit Factory. No proprietary software or AI/ML capabilities are described.

The business model combines recurring subscription revenue (corporate membership £300-£1,200/year by organisation size; individual membership £15 or £25/year), per-programme fees (Women's Development Programme £299-£399 per cohort), event sponsorship (Gold/Silver/Bronze tiers from equipment manufacturers including Delta Fire, Dräger, MSA, Supply Plus, and sector bodies including NFCC and IFE), job listing fees (£150 per non-member posting), and merchandise revenue share. Distribution is community-led and event-driven, supplemented by a Regional Representatives network covering all UK fire service areas, social media (Facebook), email newsletters, and earned media.

Name

Women in the Fire Service UK

Legal name

Women in the Fire Service UK

Website

https://wfs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Women in the Fire Service UK is a not-for-profit membership organisation supporting gender equality across the UK fire and rescue service through individual and corporate memberships, training events, the Women's Development Programme, awards, and a job board serving over 50 fire and rescue service organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from fire and rescue service organisations and partner companies. Tiers are based on organisation headcount: up to 250 employees (£300/year), 251-999 employees (£600/year), 1,000+ employees (£1,200/year). Effective from January 2026. Benefits include job board promotion, event discounts, speaker opportunities, and recruitment support.
2. Individual Membership Fees: Annual individual membership fees: Standard at £15/year and Super Supporter at £25/year. Open to all genders in the UK and internationally. Includes telephone support, network access, voting rights, e-bulletin, and priority access to events.
3. Women's Development Programme Fees: Revenue from a three-workshop development programme delivered remotely over three months. Corporate members pay £299; non-members pay £399 per programme. Additional one-to-one coaching sessions with Women to Work are offered at £100 per session (with WFS branding).
4. Event Sponsorship: The annual National Training & Development Event attracts sponsors at Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers. Sponsors include equipment manufacturers (Delta Fire, Dräger, MSA), training solution providers (Supply Plus, Ruth Lee, IFE), and sector bodies (NFCC, PBI). Sponsors receive exhibition space, brand visibility, and engagement with delegates.
5. Job Listing Fees: Non-corporate members are charged £150 per vacancy listing. Corporate members can post vacancies free of charge as part of their membership benefit. Listings are reviewed before publication and typically appear within 3 working days.
6. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise shop powered by Kit Factory (third-party supplier). Items include branded clothing and accessories. Products are made to order and shipped directly by Kit Factory. WFS receives revenue through sales, with Kit Factory handling production and fulfilment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS) is a national not-for-profit organisation delivering tiered individual and corporate memberships, an annual National Training & Development Event, a Women's Development Programme coaching course, a sector-specific job board, an annual awards programme, and a podcast to advance gender equality and representation across the UK fire and rescue service.

Product overview

Women in the Fire Service UK operates as a not-for-profit membership organisation offering a portfolio of interconnected services rather than a unified software platform. The core offerings include tiered individual and corporate membership programmes, the annual WFS Awards celebrating excellence across eight categories, and the flagship National Training and Development Event (24th edition in June 2026). The Women's Development Programme delivers three-workshop online personal development courses via Women to Work. The Future Firefighter Podcast provides career guidance content, while the WFS Job Board connects employers with diverse fire service candidates. Regional Events and The Emergency Services Show exhibition presence extend the networking and professional development reach. The merchandise shop operates via Kit Factory integration. Together, these services form a comprehensive support ecosystem for recruitment, retention, progression, and advocacy for women in the UK fire and rescue sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70 nominations received for the 2025 WFS Awards, indicating deep sector engagement.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered gold sponsor, silver sponsor, bronze sponsor, core partner and merchandise supplier.

• Delta Fire Ltdgold sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Delta Fire Ltd, a UK-based designer and manufacturer of front-line firefighting equipment, is a Gold Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026. Delta Fire received a double King's Award for Enterprise in 2025 for Innovation and Sustainable Development. They support WFS's mission to champion inclusion, leadership, and diversity in the fire sector.
• Drägergold sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Dräger, a global safety equipment manufacturer, is a Gold Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026. Dräger also sponsors the Dany Cotton Inspiring Leader Award at WFS Awards.
• MSA Safetygold sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026MSA Safety (The Safety Company) is listed as a Gold Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026.
• Supply Plus Ltdgold sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Supply Plus Ltd, a UK-based leader in the design, manufacture, and global distribution of lifesaving and life-sustaining equipment (including +AS Fire & Safety, +Bayley, and +Collins Youldon brands), is a Gold Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026.
• Ruth Leesilver sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ruth Lee, a manufacturer of professional training manikins for first responders, is a Silver Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026. Ruth Lee also sponsors the Firefighter Rising Star Award.
• Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE)silver sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026IFE is the internationally recognised professional body dedicated to promoting excellence in fire engineering. It is a Silver Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026 and also sponsors the Exceptional Allies Award.
• National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)bronze sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026NFCC is a Bronze Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026. NFCC is a corporate member of WFS and a key sector partner committed to advancing equality and cultural improvement across the fire and rescue sector.
• PBI Performance Productsbronze sponsorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026PBI Performance Products, a manufacturer of protective fabrics and garments, is a Bronze Sponsor of the WFS National Training & Development Event 2026 and sponsors the Online Creator Award.
• Women to Workcore partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Women to Work, led by Jenny Pollock and Emma Shute, is the delivery partner for the WFS Women's Development Programme — a three-workshop remote coaching programme building confidence and resilience for women in the fire service. WFS also offers one-to-one coaching sessions with Women to Work at a reduced rate of £100 per session for members.
• Fire Service Collegecore partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh is the venue for the annual WFS National Training and Development Events. The college has historical significance for WFS — the first NWFS national conference was held there in 1996.
• Kit Factorymerchandise supplierOthers · 1 January 2025Kit Factory is the supplier of WFS branded merchandise. They handle production, fulfilment, and customer service for WFS merchandise. Products are made to order and shipped to customers. Returns and queries are managed directly by Kit Factory.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Women in Policing: UK organisation supporting women across police forces, with the same membership, events, awards, and career-progression mission as WFS but applied to policing. Highly comparable model and member base structure.
• International Association of Women in Fire & Emergency Services (iWomen): Global non-profit advocating for women in fire and emergency services. Closest international analogue to WFS, with comparable mission around recruitment, retention, and leadership development for women firefighters.
• Asian Fire Services Association (AFSA): UK-based organisation promoting diversity and representation of ethnic minorities in the UK fire and rescue service. Same target employer base (UK FRSs) and similar membership/events model, but focused on ethnic rather than gender diversity.

Emerging players

• Women in Sport: UK charity advocating for gender equality in sport, using a similar advocacy, events, awards and partnership model to WFS. Comparable operating model but a different end sector (sport vs fire and rescue).
• Women in Rail: UK not-for-network focused on gender diversity across the UK rail industry, with corporate membership, events, awards and mentoring programmes mirroring WFS's structure. Adjacent professional diversity model.

Broad incumbents

• Fire Brigades Union (FBU): The recognised trade union for firefighters in the UK. Operates in the same UK FRS ecosystem with overlapping stakeholder base, but focuses on industrial representation rather than women's equality.
• Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE): Internationally recognised professional body for fire engineering. IFE is a Silver sponsor of WFS's flagship event and sponsor of the Exceptional Allies Award, indicating strong thematic overlap with WFS's professional-development mission.
• National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC): UK-wide sector umbrella body for fire chiefs and rescue services. WFS is a corporate member and NFCC is also a Bronze sponsor of WFS events, indicating close operational overlap with WFS's fire-sector audience but a broader leadership/policy remit.

Others

• The Fire Fighters Charity: UK charity supporting the physical and mental wellbeing of the fire services community. Operates within the same UK FRS ecosystem and shares a beneficiary base with WFS, but focuses on welfare provision rather than equality/development.

Regional players

• Women in Fire and Emergency Service New Zealand: New Zealand peer to WFS UK advocating for women in NZ fire and emergency services. Same operating model (membership, events, awards, development programmes) but serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/Kt67Iu6JVgI
• Facebookfacebook.com/743721228708191

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women in the Fire Service UK