Women in the fire service(honest opinion)

Hola,
Just wanted to get some honest feed back about how men feel about having women serve as FF. Please be very honest! The reason for this is:
1. I have witnessed society feels women can't do this job- we are to fragile , etc.
2. People think women that work around a bunch of men must be easy or having relations with at least one of the them
3. Sexual harrassment issues arise more often
4. Some men have trouble taking orders from a woman (or vice versa)
These are just a few of the things I have seen or heard about.. Please share y you feel this way

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Permalink Reply by Pablo Gonzales on February 22, 2008 at 7:39am

personally i think women in the fire service is great. i have had women in the fire service when i got in this job. my mother is my asst. chief and has been for the last ten years my sister got me in the biz.

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Permalink Reply by danny on February 22, 2008 at 8:44am

as the good book says here is the end of the matter there is always something todo for someone in the fireservice be paid or volunteer. if a person meets the physical and mental requirements then let that person be part of it i say. and besides i have seen more than few these southern girls hang in there with the best of them. In my station we had two but are down to one she is a paramedic and wildland firefighter certifitied. which is a plus we gets lots of good training which is approved and we dont get rusty on our first responder training eehhh--- whats the beef=== danny

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Permalink Reply by Spanner 122 on February 22, 2008 at 8:49am

I think this is the key. Knowing your limitations, no matter who you are. We had three fires one afternoon and at the third one we were ventilation, it was a small fire and by the time we arrived, all we had to do was set up a PPV fan in the front door. Capt asked us to get it off the rig. It's not the heaviest thing in the world, but it is heavy. I took it off the rig while one of the guys watched me. I looked at him when it was time to carry it to the door and said, "Are you grabbing that side?" (lol... no attitude, just a question), he grabbed it and said, "I'm glad you asked!" We talked about it later and apparently some of the ladies are too busy trying to show they can do things to ask someone to help them. Something as simple as a PPV, it's awkward and heavy enough that you could really hurt yourself. I told him you will never catch me doing something alone that should be done with two, as long as someone else is available. Of course, if I had to do it by myself, I would have. I won over a "no women allowed" old school firefighter one day because there was no one to help me and no ledge or frame to hook the box fan up to in a basement. I held the fan up until someone was able to help me (it's lighter, but still pretty freaking heavy). He said that was enough for him! hahaha!

Anyway, sorry, I'm a story teller! I agree, the test has been made easier. The fact is, in some departments it was used to get more people to pass, male or female. I had mentioned before that years ago on my department, so few people passed (and much less had applied to begin with, amazing what 9/11 did for the applicant pool) that they had to hire everyone to man the rigs. It's better to have options for sure. Yes, it's easier, yes more women are passing, yes it has it's drawbacks, but at least the hiring board has more applicants to choose from (we still seem to weed out over 80% of the applicants with the written tests).

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Permalink Reply by Drew Lyman on February 22, 2008 at 9:09am

Ha, never thought about that. And YES, I have noticed the differences in men and women's bodies (tongue in cheek).

Seriously, I never thought about the chest to shoulder ratio, and the mic clip under your armpit comment almost made me blow coffee out my nose. I wasn't trying to be an a-hole, though usually I come off that way regardless. I honestly did not know that females had that kind of trouble with bunkers. With the (very) few females that I have worked with I never heard any of them complain. Testament to their intestinal fortitude I suppose.

Is there a company that does make "female friendly" bunkers?

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Permalink Reply by ~CED~ on February 22, 2008 at 9:28am

Women would be great for grass fires and medicals. "Most" women just don't have the upper body strength to fight a decent size structure fire. When it comes to pulling ceiling on an apartment with double layer 5/8 sheetrock, they just don't cut it. We try and give women assignments that are a little less physical demanding but is that them doing the job or is the job just accomodating them. I feel the same torwards all of the men on the job that can't do it either. Some are too fat or too weak, physically or mentally. The difference is that if I get on to a male for not being able to do the job I support from management, if you get on to a female for not being able to do the job you get put on the news for discrimination.

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Permalink Reply by ~CED~ on February 22, 2008 at 9:45am

If "passion" is all they need let them try and put in an application for the Navy SEALs. The military has to use them but knows where to put them.

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Permalink Reply by LeAnne Brock on February 22, 2008 at 10:09am

Look I really know i'm wasting my breath here, but when you say "THEM". We're called women. and I really take offense to you refering to woman as them. And another thing for your information the Seals have a drop out rate of 70%, so most men can't handle that. I would rather know that the firefighters that showed up to a call, had passion to motavate them to be there other than just a pay check. Bottom line if u pass the pt test and pull you weight, what does it matter.

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Permalink Reply by ~CED~ on February 22, 2008 at 10:31am

Because most pt tests are set up to allow more women to be able to complete. They don't mimic real deal structure fighting at all. That is the biggest problem... people (men and women) think that just because they barely pass the physical test they have seen the worst that the fire service can throw at them and that couldn't be farther from the truth. If a pt test, such as SEALs doesn't knock out 70%, it is too easy. I'm not just picking on women, there are alot of guys on the job that shouldn't be. Our record of LODD proves it. Heart attack and stroke wouldn't be the number one killer if physical fitness was more a priority.

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Permalink Reply by LeAnne Brock on February 22, 2008 at 10:37am

And another thing, we're all family in EMS. Look u know we all put our lives on the line. NOTE I SAID ALL. Another thing is We're all in EMS because we want to help right? So i think that it takes "Passion" and desire to help and If I thought for any second that I coundn't handle my job anymore. I would give it up. and if the drive and "passion I had for it left me I would quit because I feel I wouldn't be doing anyone any good if I half-assed did my my job.

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Permalink Reply by ~CED~ on February 22, 2008 at 11:04am

I understand the family part. I am very close to the guys at my station. We are together on an off the job. I trust my life with any of them, but it hasn't always been that way. We recently had a rookie firefighter assigned to us that was 126 lbs and 5'11". His SCBA bottle was bigger around than he was. His first day we sat a firefighter down in a corner simulating a downed firefighter and told him to use any means possible to get them both out. He couldn't move the 185 lb fully geared firefighter three feet to the door. He had all of the "passion" in the world and completely wore himself out trying but could not do it. That is not who I want following me into a house fire. Is that who you want to come into your house and try to rescue you and your family in the middle of the night when your house is burning down around you?? I think not. By the way, he passed the national CPAT test before being hired... on the seccnd try. That made him think that he could do the job. Wrong. But now we do have more women being able to pass the test and get hired. mission completed.

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Permalink Reply by Pablo Gonzales on February 22, 2008 at 11:35am

ok~CED~ i have been in the fire service for over ten years. and have lived arounded it for over twenty. and it is people that spout for BS that really upsets me. it is not all about how big you are i have seen a women whoes weight couldnt have been 95lb soking wet man handle a MAN over twice her weight. your fitness dose play a part but it is not everything. technique and hart. but it is people like you that like to show up with your BS talk like you are god gift to this job and are never wrong. that makes me mad way dont you wake up and get a dam clue