Antarctic Fire Angels Georgina Gilbert and Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe are changing the narrative of what it means to be a girl
Georgina Gilbert and Rebecca “Bex” Openshaw-Rowe, two trailblazing female firefighters and athletes, undertook a monumental expedition last year across Antarctica, skiing 1,230 kilometres to the South Pole.
Driven by a passion for inspiring women and girls, they completed their journey unassisted, unpowered, and unsupported, all while challenging gender stereotypes.
Now, they are preparing for their next adventure—the Great World Race, where they will run seven marathons across seven continents in just seven days.
In this interview, IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey found out about their extraordinary mission, the challenges they’ve faced and their ongoing commitment to changing the narrative around what it means to be a girl.
What were some of the standout moments for you during your Antarctic expedition?
ROR: The standout moment has got to be when we first touched down in Antarctica.
We’d spent four years planning and prepping, and many people doubted we’d make it.
But standing at the bottom of the world, realising we were actually going to do it—it was an unbelievable feeling.
GG: There were lows too—the monotony, the Groundhog Day feeling.
Still, we found humour even in the non-humorous moments, which kept us going.
Being able to laugh at ourselves, handle criticism, and still remain friends through it all—that was another big high.
ROR: Some of the views out there were otherworldly, like being on another planet.
On good weather days, we’d have a 360-degree horizon—just snow and sky, nothing else. It was incredible.
I remember one day, something about the weather systems created this surreal environment—ice crystals floating in the air, everything sparkling.
It felt like we were in a different dimension. The whole day was strange but amazing at the same time.
What were the biggest physical and mental challenges you faced?
GG: The whiteouts and flat light. In a whiteout, you can’t see the horizon, and with flat light, you can’t see the ground, making it impossible to spot the sastrugi (snow ridges) that could be two inches to seven feet tall.
You’d be right on top of them without knowing.
We were lucky not to injure ourselves or break equipment, especially hearing from other expeditions dealing with multiple broken ski bindings.
Some days, after battling through these conditions, we’d look at the GPS and be shocked we’d done 20 kilometres—it was surreal.
The whole time, you’re in disbelief at what your body is enduring and how you manage to get up and repeat it day after day.
ROR: For me, the reality hit around the second week. We weren’t doing anywhere near the mileage we had planned.
Mentally, we prepared to cover 25 kilometres a day, but the sleds were heavier than expected—120 kilos instead of the planned 85.
The terrain was also tougher, with unprecedented sastrugi everywhere, slowing us down. Some days, we managed only 13 kilometres in 10 hours.
That second week was tough because we started calculating whether we had enough food.
We had 55 days’ worth, but I remember thinking, “I don’t think we have enough to make it to the pole.”
It was a reality check that despite all the prep, you can’t fully predict the unknown.
Fortunately, after that week, we started moving faster and caught up on time, but it was a low point for both of us.
What lasting lessons or takeaways do you both carry with you from that incredible journey?
ROR: It’s amazing how far your mind can push your body when you’re focused on a goal.
In the last three weeks of our Antarctica journey, George and I had no idea how we were still moving 10-12 hours a day.
We didn’t know what was fuelling us, but our minds were so focused on the finish that we just kept going.
GG: You really learn the importance of open conversations.
At home, we tend to stew on things, but during our training, we realised we had to air everything, no matter how small.
It could be petty things, like who always digs the snow skirt or takes out the tent pegs. We’d snap at each other, but it was better to address it than to let it build up.
If you harbour stuff, it can make things darker, but being able to talk openly every day helped us handle it.
How did the Great World Race come about?
ROR: About three weeks after we came back from Antarctica, Great World Race popped up on my Instagram feed.
I sent it to George, not expecting her to say yes – but she did, and then I thought, “Oh no, what have I done?”
We’d said we’d be normal people after Antarctica, but after a few weeks, the urge to do something big hit again.
So when this came up, I told George we had to do it in fire gear to stay visible as role models.
We didn’t want to be just generic runners; we wanted to continue promoting visibility for women firefighters.
This race is one marathon a day for seven days across seven continents.
How cool would it be to see two female firefighters running in fire gear across the globe? We’ll be struggling, but it’ll be amazing for visibility.
We start the first marathon in Antarctica on November 15th, then spend the week flying overnight to the next continent, running, and repeating.
It’s going to be brutal, and recovery will be key.
What is the training process like for this compared to your last expedition?
GG: We’ve gone from four years of prep to five months.
We got our endurance coach, John, who trained us for the expedition, and he offered to help with this one too we said ‘yes, please!’ It’s good to have a structured program to follow; otherwise, you might skip a run when you’re tired.
Having that structure is great. When we started training, I was still recovering from Antarctica, which takes months mentally and physically.
But having a new program actually helped pull me out of the recovery phase and into the next challenge.
Initially, we were meant to take part next year, but the organiser contacted us and said they were filming a Netflix documentary and asked if we could do it this year.
We said, “Why not? Let’s do it!” That’s kind of what we’re known for—saying yes to things.
Can you talk about the Fire Angel Foundation?
GG: Before we left for Antarctica, we decided to start the Fire Angel Foundation. Right now, we’re working with UK fire cadets, specifically focusing on young women.
The idea is to give them a glimpse of what we’ve had the privilege of experiencing.
The key theme is girls supporting other girls, building self-esteem, and learning to support themselves and their peers.
As a natural outcome, this will hopefully lead to women supporting women.
It’s about nurturing self-confidence because we know girls and women tend to learn differently in all-female groups compared to co-ed settings.
The UK fire cadets have a good gender balance, but we’ve noticed that when the girls reach the age where they could consider joining the fire service, many don’t see it as a viable career.
A big part of that is because they don’t see themselves represented in the ranks—from firefighter to Chief Fire Officer.
Boys often embrace the hero element of the job, but girls tend to struggle with that identification because they don’t see themselves in those roles.
We’re trying to change that by showing them that they can have a career in the fire service.
We’re working with female firefighters and cadet leaders to give these young women insight into the career and help them develop the confidence to pursue it.
The goal is to use the skills they gain as cadets to move into full-time firefighting roles and help improve the gender balance in the fire service.
Women make up more than half of the population, so it only makes sense that they should be more represented in firefighting roles.
But this isn’t happening, and it’s often due to confidence, self-esteem, and the feeling of not belonging.
These issues start at a young age, and it’s our mission to help change that.
ROR: The Fire Angel Foundation is a big focus for us moving forward.
But in terms of challenges, I don’t think we’re finished yet.
We’ve got some plans for something big within the UK in a couple of years. If we can pull it off, it’ll be epic.
But the overarching reason for everything we do is visibility as female firefighters and investing in the future generation.
We want to inspire young women to see this as a career option and to know they can do it.
Your mission revolves around “changing the narrative of what it means to be a girl” – what does being a girl mean to you?
GG: There’s still this stigma – “throw like a girl,” “cry like a girl,” “run like a girl” – it’s ridiculous.
You see kids pretend to run like a girl, and it’s this exaggerated, silly image. But how many girls actually run like that? It’s ingrained at such a young age.
We’re trying to reframe it. I once saw this image of a woman, an athlete, throwing a T-shirt into a crowd, and someone captioned it “like a girl.” It was perfect.
That’s when it clicked for us—do everything like a girl.
We talked openly about our experiences in Antarctica, how it’s different for women on expeditions, from toileting to hygiene. We wanted to normalise it.
So, yes—run like a girl, ski like a girl, do an expedition like a girl. And when you look at that, it’s powerful. That’s what it means to be a girl.
ROR: Kids pick up stereotypes at such a young age—three or four years old. We want to change that.
Gender shouldn’t determine what you can try or do in life. It shouldn’t even be a question for young girls.
They should never think, “I can’t do that because I’m a girl.” It’s about role models and also educating parents.
We want kids to believe they can do anything, regardless of gender. That’s the world we want them to grow up in.
Join Bex Openshaw-Rowe and Georgina Gilbert at The Emergency Services Show as they recount their extraordinary 53-day trek to the South Pole at the People & Skills Stage today. Discover what these two fearless firefighters learned about resilience, teamwork, and the harsh realities of the elements during this life-changing expedition. Don’t miss this inspiring talk at Hall 5!
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.