Teen Girls Dive into Firefighting at Exciting Weekend Event.
DeKalb County Fire Rescue’s Firefighter Weekend featured a special day for high school girls to engage in hands-on activities.
In a groundbreaking initiative, Georgia’s DeKalb County Fire Rescue (DCFR) and the City of Decatur Fire Department teamed up to host a Female Firefighter Weekend, empowering 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, the first day at DeKalb County Fire Station #7 included an insider’s tour of the state-of-the-art facility and a live demonstration. The following day, teenage girls aged 14-18 got hands-on experience 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 significant gender disparity in the field. In 2020, out of the estimated 1,041,200 firefighters in the U.S., only 9% were female. Specifically, of the 364,300 career firefighters, 17,200 were women, and of the 676,900 volunteer firefighters, 72,400 were women. Despite these numbers, 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. In 1818, Molly Williams became the first female and African-American firefighter in New York City. In 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 head 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.
