Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Katherine on September 5, 2008 at 9:28pm

I get a lot of "really" I was a firefighter before I was on the medical side.

Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on September 6, 2008 at 3:00pm

We don't have a combined EMS/fire department up here, so when I say I am "with the fire department" (I'll admit, it's kind of a test to see what they'll say), "Really, you go to calls and put out fires and stuff?"
I don't really mind so much. Women are still relatively new to the fire service, even if there's a woman or two in a department for more than 20 years, there's been fire departments for 150 and more (we're a fairly low number local, been around just over 150). Don't be offended, just educate them! :)

Permalink Reply by anne potter on September 6, 2008 at 10:36pm

Nope because our dept does not have ems in house we have a service outside the town.. I was also EMT for 25 would never change it. Had to let it go to take care of my mom..I do the firefighting and has been one for 27 yrs... Here in NY it is becoming more common to see women in the fire dept so no thinks anything of it....

Permalink Reply by Brittany on September 7, 2008 at 7:14am

I just think it is funny that this is such a male dominated career field, and yet if you are there, people automatically assume you are in EMS. My dept is combined fire & ems, and most of the depts in my area are as well, so locally, I don't run into that too often. What I had to laugh about the other day was a comment I'd laughed about in all those "You Know You're In EMS..." but never been on the receiving end: "You're an ambulance driver?" There was about a 3-second internal pause, deciding not to take the time to explain, and then I simply grinned and said "yes." I had fun explaining that to my friends at work. We also joke about the difference between a private paramedic card and a "real, firefighter paramedic" card...

Permalink Reply by Abby Lawton on September 7, 2008 at 12:29pm

I certainly run into this! When I first joined my department, the person I talked too told me that I could only do one thing at a time, and since I was a girl, I should do EMS. I was totally new to it all so that is what I did. Then I started getting into the department and all the firefighters started trying to convince me to be a firefighter too. I gladly took the chance and am so happy I did! So I even run into this in my own department!

Permalink Reply by Brittany on September 10, 2008 at 8:46am

LOL!! When I got on, my dept asked me what I wanted to do. I said I want to do both ems and fire. 36 hr volunteer FF training came up first... so that is what I did, and loved every minute of it. Then EMT-B that fall. I've had a lot of supportive people on my dept. Still have a few of the older guys making sure we girls don't try to lift something that's too heavy, or we don't get hurt, but hey, I take it as them watching out for us, not downgrading our skills, and that's fine with me.

Permalink Reply by Megan on September 15, 2008 at 2:05pm

I have run into it too luckly my dept had women before i started. But most of the women have stuck to the ems side and I am doing both. I have had the cheif say u shure you can do it. And I Say Let me try it if i cant handle it ill let ya know. Most of the guy are like keep it up its nice to see a woman who is out here with us. While im at the fd im one of the guys they can say some crude remarks but i have always been a tomboy and i just blow it off but gals keep it up and stay safe