27 Nov 2009

London Fire Brigade's rapping firefighter, Stephen-remell Coleman

Stephen-remell has written the track to tell people that London Fire Brigade is looking for new firefighters from all walks of life.

"Follow me my people this is the way, sign your name for fire brigade open days. Oh what a rush, no job can touch, the job that I got this job is too much. We need more brothers and sisters let's go, don't matter if you're x or y chromosome".

The line above is from a new hip hop track, called ‘London Firefighter,' by London's rapping firefighter, Stephen-remell Coleman.

To view the rap video, visit: http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/DiverseExperiences.asp

He said: "The lyrics are clear - the fire brigade is a fantastic career choice for everyone - men and women alike. It doesn't matter what your background is, we live in a diverse city and our firefighters need to represent that diversity.

"Lots of women don't realise what a great career firefighting is - they don't think it's a job for them - all I'd say is: give it a go".

In the professionally produced track, Stephen, who lives in Streatham and is based at Brixton Fire Station, raps: "If you wanna join, forget stereotypes". He said: "As a black man I don't fit the usual stereotype of a firefighter. I really hope with this new track I can show people there is no stereotype to conform to.

"There are too many stories about young people in trouble with the police. I hope young people from ethnic minority backgrounds can look at firefighters like me and see the fire service as an opportunity put something back into their communities and save lives."