Whats good form Phila.

Hey Lil Lady, Shouts Out frm Ga!!!!

Hi there Shanice, greetings from the island of Barbados. I hope you achieve your goal of becoming a firefighter. Stay strong...

You are very welcome. I hope I was a help of some kind. Let me know what you get. Good Luck.

1. What fire department are you currently stationed at? (could you add here if your the only woman in your department or if there are others)
-I am currently with North East Volunteer Fire Company in Cecil County, MD. I am not the only women in my department, there are 4 of us.

2. How long have you been working at that department?
-I am working on my third year with North East.

3. Did the department you currently work for accept you with open arms being that your a woman?
-Yes, as it is a rule that all be accepted equally, and not accepting women would be discrimination.

4. In any time in your career has any male firefighter challenged your abilities as a woman firefighter?
-Oh yes, many times. Not as many as when I first came in, because I was only 15 and I learned from the males. Its was mostly when the new people were being brought in, they were suprised to see a women sitting on the engine in gear.


5. Were you ever nervous knowning you are a woman going into a "male" dominate career?
-At first, I was very nervous. I was entering my Fire Science class in my High School at the same time that I was being brought into my firehouse, so the pictures scared me and really made me think twice about what I was going to put myself through to get where I am now.

6. When going through the application process did you ever get turned down for being a woman?
-No, although women in the fire service is relativly new so I did get those untrusty looks.

7. Have you ever had someone tell you that you wouldn't make it, because you are a woman? (Anyone you worked with or someone you knew personally or just came across.)
-All the time. My friends at school were pretty supportive, but my boyfriend was 100% against it. A women doing a mans job reall irked his nerves I guess. My family was pretty happy for me. Inside the firehouse you have to prove that you are trustworthy male or female, but females have it harder then most. The trust and acceptance takes longer. I am grateful that my firehouse has accepted me so well, and they feel like family to me. They watch out for me, and I know they would break through a brick wall to save my life.

8. Is there anything specific that motivated you the most to become a firefighter?
-No, I dont have a heroic story like most, who grew up in a fire department. I really wanted to go to a Technical School instead of a boring high school. On the applicatioon was Fire Science and it sparked something.

9. Tell me one thing you find rewarding about being a firefighter?
-There are so many great things you can get from being a firefighter that choosing one is so hard. I guess if I had to choose .. it would be the feeling you get after saving a life. You know when your doing your report, that perso is getting a second chance at living. That their spouse will get their loved one to come home, their children will have a father or mother. You changed the horrible fate of an innocent person and its just amazing. Being a firefighter is the best thing I will have ever done with my life. It has helped me grow up so much, and I believe I am much more mature then most 17 year olds.

10. What advice would you have for me, and other women going into the fire service?
-Keep your head up and keep rolling. You cant let anything stop you from where you want to be. So many people are going to tell you that you cant do something, and you just have to prove them wrong. If you want something you gotta go for it.

Wow, yeah id love to help you out.
I wont be on here this weekend though, Ill be on vacation.

Did you get my email?

welcome to the family shanice