Written by Rebeca Gutierrez, Lead Product Manager. June 2025.
It has been a full decade since I graduated from university and joined this company. It’s taken me a moment to let that sink in. Time has flown by, and so much has changed, especially me.
Back then, FireServiceRota didn’t exist as it does today.
The 18-person team we now have didn’t exist. It was just Cor, Ruben, and me.
There was no Customer Success Team, Sales Team, or Product Management Team, just three software developers.
There were no wholetime or alerting features, only on-call scheduling.
No Customer Days, FSR Awards, nor FSR retreats, none of it existed.
And the person I am today didn’t exist either. I’ve learned and grown in ways that have helped me serve not only our customers, but also my team and myself, in the best way I can.
Ten years ago, despite other job offers—including a safe offer I had from the company where I was an intern— I chose to go against expectations and trust Ruben, Cor, and my gut. I knew that FireServiceRota (Brandweerrooster back then) was the right place for me, and that I would be doing something I deeply believe in: helping people. Especially first responders, with whom I feel a shared calling: service.
A little over a year after I joined, we got our first UK customer: Shropshire. I’ve always felt we had something in common: we were early adopters. Just as I was the first team member to trust my professional journey to FireServiceRota, Shropshire was the first UK FRS to trust us with their crews.
And then it was no longer just Cor, Ruben, and me, we started growing the team. And every time we interviewed someone new, one thing was clear to me: if you wanted to join FSR, you needed to share that same calling: service.
Our product also began to grow. We expanded from supporting only on-call firefighters to also serving wholetime staff, officers, and other personnel. We went from basic scheduling to building innovative features that help crews and planners get the right people at the right time. A few years later, a new customer trusted us to develop our Alerting Services, and we began supporting Denmark. Then, more and more Dutch services also began trusting our system for their wholetime crews.
And up to this day, we keep growing. Not only in the countries we already serve, but also by expanding even further.
This week, coincidently I heard it again. The main reason why emergency services choose us: our team. Emergency services are trusting our product, but more importantly they are trusting our team. A team committed to learning, adapting, and serving first responders. Almost half of our team are firefighters themselves, and the other half, we are highly-trained and committed professionals who want to make a change in the lives of first responders.
During all these years, I’ve gone through many versions of myself. I’ve had to grow and evolve just as the company and the team did. It hasn’t always been easy, but it is a journey where learning, adaptability and service have been my guides.
Today, more than ever, I know who I am and what drives me.
A couple of years ago, I decided to focus on an area of the company that needed more attention. Product Management is a team dedicated to building the processes that help align our team’s efforts towards developing what matters most to emergency responders. This is what I am focusing on these days.
I have no idea where upcoming years will take me to but I am very certain it will be a result of my commitment to keep learning from everyone I encounter in this path and adapting swiftly so that I can serve you, my team and customers, in the best way I can.
Last but not least, thank you to my team: Cor, Ruben, Gabriel, Yael, Guille, Andrea, Camilo, Stefan, Tonnis, Sander, Toño, Steve, Monica, Martin, Lisa, Stef, Alex, and Denisse.
And thank you to our customers: Sally, Adam, Anne-Marie, Oli, Martin, Sam, Luke, Alison, Lisa, Terry, Gilly, Simon, Dave, Vicky, Anjie, Anita, Lawrence, Amanda, Colin, Mikkel, Jack, Tom, and so many more.
UK Fire and Rescue Services hold a very special place in my heart. They’ve shaped me professionally and personally. I have had the opportunity to travel across England and learn so much about the culture and lives of firefighters, control staff, and other FRS personnel. I’m truly thankful to every FRS that has trusted us and allowed us to serve you.
Thank you all for helping me become the person and the professional I am today.
