How the pandemic brought a South West firefighter and paramedic together
Lauren Biffen and Martin Green are now engaged after meeting through work
Last updated 4th Mar 2021
The pandemic has been different for everyone, but for this emergency service couple, it’s brought them together.
Student paramedic, Lauren Biffen, and firefighter, Martin Green, met whilst driving ambulances for South Western Ambulance Service (SWASFT), as part of a joint initiative with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.
They first laid eyes of each other at the end of June last year in Shepton Mallet whilst working – and they formed a bond quickly.
The pair are now engaged, after Martin proposed over Christmas.
Lauren said it came as a surprise:
"Martin did very well. He got on one knee if front of the Christmas lights, which was lovely.
"We didn’t go for the full turkey dinner because we hadn’t seen each other a lot of that week and we had both been working really hard. So, we had cheese toasties in front of the TV and just spent the whole day playing scrabble and just generally spending time together."
Martin said he was nervous to pop the question:
"The pressure was on! We both want the same things in life, but I always played it down on the marriage part and the commitment part, but I wanted it to be a surprise.
"I went and chose a ring - I knew her size lucky enough using a ring she had upstairs – the jewellers were fantastic, and she absolutely loved it.
"She was totally surprised because only literally an hour before we were talking about the future and marriage and I was playing it down."
At the start of the pandemic, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service joined forces with SWASFT to provide them with additional support.
Firefighters who are trained in blue light driving have been accompanying paramedics on calls as part of the mutual aid project.
It first ran from April to August last year and again from November 2020 to March 2021.
Martin said when they first met, he knew there was something special about Lauren:
"From day one, she had a great sense of humour, always has a smile on her face. I just loved her outlook on life, and we share the same views on life really – inside and outside of work and to be honest with you, we work really well together and that really helped the bond between us.”
Lauren said for her, it was Martin’s great sense of humour:
"We got a little bit lost on our first journey out, the Satnav wasn’t quite working properly - it wasn’t an emergency journey, but we had a bit of a laugh going through a couple of lanes where we barely fit in the ambulance.
"He had a great way with patients, he chatted to them really nicely. I always call him the lady flirt. He always chats to the older ladies and they love him."
Working throughout the pandemic
Martin and Lauren have also opened up about what it is like working on the frontline during the pandemic.
Lauren says the job is already 'very emotionally exhausting' before adding COVID on top:
"You take a lot from different people throughout the day. It’s verbally draining as well as emotionally draining and every now and again you’ll get a job that really sticks with you or you can relate to yourself.
"I think as well, a lot of us on our days off spend a lot of time going away or days out, or something to get rid of all that emotional burden that we’ve picked up during the week. We can’t go out for meals, we can’t go out and see our friends - which is completely understandable - but it does mean that we’re not getting that downtime that we would have had to reset ourselves before.
"So it is very much working hard, getting a bit emotionally burnt out and then we’re not really having a reset time before we go back in again.
"We’re really starting to notice a few people who are really a few people that are struggling a little bit more now. So we’re all really looking forward to being able to get out and about again."
Martin adds to this, and says he has learnt a lot since joining the partnership with SWASFT:
"It’s certainly a different role. You’re patient facing every day, whereas in the fire service, we work together as crews and deal with members of the public at incidents - but you pick up a lot more emotional jobs in the ambulance service.
"But we’ve really enjoyed it, we just love making a difference. It’s been an absolute privilege working with people in the NHS and South West Ambulance to see what their role entails."
Martin and Lauren will be moving into their new home together at the end of March forming a new emergency services family with their two cats, Sam and Lola, and dog, Henry.