Teen Girls Enjoy Dekalb County Firefighters' Weekend

Lina Portman1 week ago

0 1 minute read

In a groundbreaking initiative, Georgia's DeKalb County Fire Rescue (DCFR) and the City of Decatur Fire Department joined forces to host a Women's Firefighter Weekend, sparking female empowerment in the fire service and inspiring teenage girls to explore this career.

The two-day event, held 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 No. 7 offered attendees a tour of the state-of-the-art facility and a live demonstration. The next day, teenage girls ages 14 to 18 got their hands dirty at the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Academy, tackling the real-world challenges of firefighting head-on.

This event comes at a crucial time, as recent statistics from the National Fire Protection Association reveal a stark gender disparity in this area. Of the estimated 1,041,200 firefighters

In the United States, in 2020, only 9% were women. The breakdown shows that out of 364,300 career firefighters, 17,200 and 676,900 volunteer firefighters, women accounted for 72,400. However, the history of women in firefighting is rich in pioneers. The U.S. Fire Administration's timeline highlights several African American women who have broken glass ceilings. Molly Williams, in 1818, became the first African-American female firefighter in New York. Fast forward to 1976, Toni McIntosh broke barriers as the first African-American career firefighter in Pittsburgh.

The timeline continues with the appointment of Carrye B. Brown as the first woman and African American to lead the United States Fire Department in 1994. In 2002, Rosemary Cloud made history by becoming the first African American woman to running a professional fire department in East Point, Georgia. Most recently, in 2021, Annette Nance-Holt became the first African American woman to lead the Chicago Fire Department.

These pioneering firefighters paved the way for events like Women in Firefighting Weekend, inspiring a new generation of women to consider this challenging and rewarding career.

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