Like father, daughter, brother and nephew: Meet the firefighting family

Few things make a parent prouder than seeing their children follow in their footsteps. For Philip Gould, that pride is felt every day.

The Peterborough firefighter has watched not only his two daughters, but also his brother and nephew join the fire service in Cambridgeshire, turning a profession into a family tradition.

"I am immensely proud... to know that the whole of your family and especially your children are following in a career which you've had for most of your work life," says 59-year-old Philip, who joined the service in 1995 and continues to work on-call.

"It's a wonderful, rewarding career, and both of my children and my nephew are going to love it."

One of the latest members to join the front line ranks is daughter Alex, 28, who recently began work as an on-call firefighter at Thorney Fire Station, alongside her dad.

She says it still feels "surreal" to work with relatives in the service.

"As a family we are really involved in the emergency services. It feels really nice to tell people what my family does," she says.

"I think it has brought us closer together."

After six years in the service's control room, Alex decided she wanted a go in the heat of the action.

One of her first major incidents was the month-long fire at Holme Fen in the summer, which she attended under the watchful eye of her dad.

In fact - all five Gould members were involved in the response to the blaze, which tore through acres of the Fenland countryside.

Alex says the fire was "very difficult" and "eye-opening".

"Being able to experience my first shout alongside my dad was a unique experience," she says.

"You hear about these incidents when I'm in control room, but I think it's completely different being on the ground.

"I have a real appreciation now for the hard work that the firefighters do."

Alex may spend more time on the ground these days, but the control room remains far from Gould-less.

Alex's sister Emily, 26, has the important and equally stressful task of mobilising the crews from base in Huntingdon, including sending out her sibling and father to jobs.

"I get to send my dad and my sister out when they're both on call, which is great," she says.

"There's not many jobs where you get to work so closely with your family."

She says her father's career helped prepare her for the realities of the role.

"He's always spoken to us about it and never hidden any part of his work from us," she says.

"Even if sometimes it's not the nicest thing to hear, he'll tell us what's been happening.

"I think it's really been beneficial to me to have been told, you know, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

"It's definitely prepared me more for what to expect when you're working in control room."

The wider family also shares the same commitment to public service.

Phil's brother, Anthony, 61, is chief fire officer of Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade - one of the country's few remaining volunteer brigades - having joined in 2012.

And Anthony's son, Jacob, 33, joined Dogsthorpe Fire Station in 2020 as a full-time firefighter.

But the family's commitment to the emergency services extends beyond the fire service, with Phil's wife Jo working in A&E at Peterborough City Hospital, and Anthony's daughter Megan being an officer at Cambridgeshire Police.

While their lifesaving work is rewarding, family life can be a challenge due to the varied shift patterns - and celebrations, including Christmas, prove somewhat tricky to organise.

"It has an impact," Phil says, adding that even sitting down for a Sunday lunch can be "a logistical challenge".

But he says the family continues to make it work and understands the shared commitment to keeping their communities safe.

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