WOMEN across the borough are being encouraged to think of a career as a firefighter in honour of International Women's Day.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has launched a campaign to celebrate its current group of female firefighters, control operators, and support staff in the hope that more women will choose to join the profession.

South Yorkshire’s Chief Fire Officer, Alex Johnson, said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again but, whilst I’m proud of how far we’ve come in recent years, there is still a long way to go to fully dispel the long-standing myth that firefighting is a job for men.

“This year’s International Women’s Day , and the Choose To Challenge theme, provides us with the perfect opportunity to do that. We want to make it totally clear that women are fit enough, strong enough and brave enough to do this job.

“This year’s International Women’s Day , and the Choose To Challenge theme, provides us with the perfect opportunity to do that. We want to make it totally clear that women are fit enough, strong enough and brave enough to do this job.”

A similar campaign, targeted at members of the LBGT community saw an increase in registrations to join the force from LGBT individuals.

To sign up to the force, click here.