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Wanted: Female Firefighters

Paretz Partensky
/
Flickr

The Springfield Fire Department hopes more women will consider a career in firefighting--the vast majority of its employees are men.  So, it’s hosting an event tomorrow designed to generate interest among the female population.  KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.

The Girls on Fire event is designed to give women information about firefighting as a career so they can decide if the Springfield Fire Department would be a good fit for them. 

Department spokesperson Cara Erwin says firefighting has traditionally been and continues to be a male-dominated field, and the Springfield Fire Department would love to help change that.

"We would love our department to be representative of our entire community.  Currently we have just three women on the department, and we would love to see more consider it as a career field for them because it really is a great job if women would consider it and look into it and see what all the benefit are," she said.

She says firefighting is a demanding job, but it's a rewarding one.

"There are very few jobs that you can go to everyday and know that you're going to be making a difference in someone's life, and this is one of those jobs," she said.

Erwin says women tend to stay away from the field, in part, because they still see it as a job for men and because of the difficult physical agility test that’s required.

"It's no secret that women don't have the upper body strength that men do, and women do tend to struggle  with passing that physical agility test.  They do need to pass the test the same way any man would," she said.

She says during the recruitment event, women will learn what the physical agility test involves and get tips to help them pass it.

Girls on Fire is set for tomorrow (10/18) from 9 to 3 at the Springfield Regional Police/Fire Training Center, 2620 W. Battlefield.  Registration is appreciated but not required.  To learn more, click here.

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.