In a groundbreaking initiative, Georgia’s DeKalb County Fire Rescue (DCFR) and the City of Decatur Fire Department joined forces to host a female firefighter weekend, igniting empowerment among women in the fire service and inspiring teen girls to explore the career.
The two-day event, held on June 22-23, offered a unique glimpse into the life of a firefighter. According to Dekalb County, day one at DeKalb County Fire Station #7 provided attendees with an insider’s tour of the state-of-the-art facility and a live demonstration. The following day, teenage girls aged 14-18 got their hands dirty at the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Academy, tackling real firefighting challenges head-on.
This event comes at a crucial time, as recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association reveal a stark gender disparity in the field. Of the estimated 1,041,200 firefighters in the U.S. in 2020, a mere 9% were female. The breakdown shows that out of 364,300 career firefighters, 17,200, and of the 676,900 volunteer firefighters, females made up 72,400. However, the history of women in firefighting is rich with trailblazers. The U.S. Fire Administration’s timeline highlights several African-American women who shattered glass ceilings. Molly Williams, in 1818, became the first woman and African-American firefighter in New York City. Fast forward to 1976, Toni McIntosh broke barriers as the first African-American career firefighter in Pittsburgh.
The timeline continues with Carrye B. Brown’s appointment as the first African American and woman U.S. fire administrator in 1994. In 2002, Rosemary Cloud made history as the first African-American woman to lead a career fire department in East Point, Georgia. Most recently, in 2021, Annette Nance-Holt became the first African American woman to helm the Chicago Fire Department.
These pioneering firefighters paved the way for events like the female firefighter weekend, inspiring a new generation of women to consider this challenging yet rewarding career.
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