Type of Organization

Fire/Rescue Department - Paid

Job Function

Firefighter / Paramedic (or Other ALS)

Years in Fire/EMS:

13

Primary Fire/EMS Department:

Pittsfield Fire Department

Years With Department/Agency

7

Dept. Web Site:

http://fire.pittsfield-nh.com/

My Training:

Paramedic and Firefighter Certified

About Me:

I am a mother of 3 girls and grandmother to 5 beautiful grand daughters as well. I am 51 y/o and have been in the Fire/EMS field for 13 years now. I love what I do and have now begun writing about my experiences on and off the job and getting the stories of other female firefighters and paramedics to share on my facebook page which I named: Female Firefighters: Not just for calendars.

Day Job:

Paramedic at Pittsfield Fire Dept

Relationship Status:

Divorced

Facebook or Other Online Profile:

http://www.facebook.com/karen.brown.908347

Why I Joined Fire/EMS

I wanted to do a job that was something that made me happy and I wanted to help people while doing something useful.

Why I Love Fire/EMS

It's the best job in the world

Top Issues Facing Responders:

I believe the greatest issue we have is safety. This is, in many ways, the most important thing that we face everyday on the job. Training and experience is one important way to improve the safety of our environments and also making sure that we have safety mechanisms in place and in good working order.

Health issues are also very big in our industry due to the high level of stress we have to endure emotionally and physically.

Females Firefighters are at risk of job related harassment and abuse from co-workers due to various opinions and attitudes from other workers or instructors.