Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service holds first-ever baby loss awareness event
The event aims to break the silence around pregnancy and baby loss
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has hosted its first-ever Baby Loss Awareness event, bringing together staff, charities and people with lived experience to break the silence around pregnancy and baby loss.
Organised by Hatfield-based crew commander Oliver Dent, the event was inspired by his and his partner Caitlin’s experience of losing four babies on their journey to parenthood before welcoming their son.
Oliver, who has served with the fire service for nearly 10 years, recalled the devastation of discovering their baby no longer had a heartbeat.
“I've never felt pain in that instant quite like that,” he said.
“All of the things that we were looking at and dreaming of was gone, just disappeared in that second.”
He hopes the event will help ensure colleagues experiencing similar losses feel supported.
Oliver said: “What I want to achieve is the start of something, the start of a standard where managers are well equipped to have that really difficult conversation and signpost.”
He said raising awareness was crucial to breaking the stigma surrounding baby loss and helping people understand that support is available, even if they are not ready to talk about their experiences.
“For me, the importance is breaking that stigma, breaking the silence, having conversations, because we want to talk about it and people are really scared to do that,” he said.
Fire service aims to learn lessons from the past
Chief Fire Officer Alex Woodman said the event provided an opportunity to reflect on where the organisation had fallen short and make meaningful improvements.
He acknowledged that existing policies had not always reflected the needs of people experiencing baby loss.
“Our policies weren't good enough, our policies didn't reflect people,” he said.
Alex said the service could improve its policies, provide guidance for managers and build a workplace culture where employees feel supported through grief and trauma.
“If our policies can be better, if our organisation can learn, if our managers, our leadership teams can think about individuals, hear from stories, understand baby loss and the impact that it has, that has to be the right thing to do,” he said.
“Today is the spark of what we do. It's where we go next,” he added.
Where to find support
Louisa Hendrickson, founder of Bedfordshire-based Zion’s Lighthouse, which supports families experiencing grief and baby loss, encouraged anyone affected to give themselves time to grieve and seek support.
“Your loss is valid. You're entitled to grieve,” she said.
Louisa emphasised that grief affects everyone differently and encouraged people to be kind to themselves as they navigate their experiences.
Anyone affected by pregnancy or baby loss can find support through organisations including Sands, Aching Arms and Tommy’s.