By Lisa Burton
The fire service has a rich and evolving history. While traditionally male-dominated, the industry continues to evolve as more female firefighters gradually reshape the landscape. As the profession moves forward, it is essential to recognize the contributions of women, confront challenges in recruitment and retention, and implement inclusive strategies that support a stronger, more diverse firefighting workforce.
Blazing a trail: Pioneering women in fire service
Women have been active, though often unrecognized, contributors to the fire service for more than 200 years. Key milestones include:
- 1818 – Molly Williams became the first known female and Black firefighter in the U.S.
- 1920s – Emma Vernell became the first officially recognized female firefighter in New Jersey.
- 1942 – California assembled the first all-women forest firefighting crew.
- 1973 – Ruth E. Capello became the first known female fire chief in the U.S. (Oregon).
- 1974 – Judith Livers Brewer became the first known paid female firefighter.
- 1976 – Toni McIntosh became one of the first African American paid female firefighters.
- 1993 – Rosemary Bliss became the first female head of a career fire department in California.
- 2002 – Rosemary Roberts Cloud became the first African American female fire chief in the U.S.
These trailblazers paved the way for future generations, but there is still work to be done.
Where are we now?
Women remain underrepresented in fire service compared to other emergency response fields. On average, 9% of firefighters are women, while women account for 14% of law enforcement positions and 31% of EMS personnel.
Within the fire service, the largest percentage of female firefighters work within the federal wildland service, with an average of 12%. Volunteer firefighters have the next highest percentage, at 11%. Only 5% of career firefighters are women. Systemic barriers, such as lack of support and limited opportunities for advancement, continue to limit full inclusion and success for women in the field.
Building a stronger team
How can we continue to increase the number of women in the fire service? By recognizing the value of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Recently, the concept of DEI has been portrayed in a negative light, but when we look at the words individually, they are not inherently negative.
- Diversity refers to the presence of differences in characteristics. These may include race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, disability and other differences among us. Differences – not good, not bad, simply different. And with these differences comes strength. Not everyone should be the exact same and bring the same skills to the team. Think of a team as a toolbox – each individual brings unique tools. The more diverse the tools, the more adaptable and effective the team becomes.
- Equity is the concept that not everyone starts from the same place. To be equitable is to provide resources and opportunities based on individual needs to ensure fair outcomes. Fairness – not good, not bad, simply fair.
- Inclusion creates an environment where everyone feels valued and respected and can participate fully and contribute to their organization through their unique perspectives. Inclusion – not good, not bad, simply included.
Incorporation of the elements of DEI may improve employee morale, help promote business ethics and bring new perspectives to problem-solving and organizational innovation. An organization that offers equal opportunities and cultivates a sense of belonging can become a stronger organization. A stronger organization is a better asset to its community.
Benefits of women working in the fire service
The benefits of women in the fire service are extensive, both inside and outside the organization.
- Innovative problem-solving is a definite benefit. Different life experiences can contribute to novel solutions for long-standing issues.
- Increased adaptability is another benefit, with diverse teams being more flexible and proactive.
- Finally, improved community relations is a significant benefit. Fire departments with diverse personnel better understand and serve their communities because they see their community through their own unique lens.
While women in the fire service provide considerable benefits, there are several recruitment challenges that can hamper our efforts to grow our numbers.
Addressing recruitment challenges
To be successful, organizations must recognize barriers to recruiting and retaining women in the fire service. These barriers include a lack of targeted outreach, underutilization of social media for recruitment, failure to showcase specialized career paths within firefighting, and a lack of clear communication about job roles and responsibilities. A common recruitment issue is passive exclusion, where departments do not actively discriminate but also fail to make strides toward inclusion. Consistency in organizational recruitment messaging is crucial. With this in mind, consider the following guidance for overcoming recruitment challenges.
Early outreach: Building the pipeline
If the fire service wants to build the number of women in the fire service, the key is to start early. Why is this? “Kids can’t be what they can’t see.” Young girls need to see role models of successful women in the fire service. This is critical because children form perceptions about gender roles early in life.
Research shows that gender stereotypes begin affecting children as early as age 6. Introducing girls to firefighting early can counteract harmful perceptions and normalize female participation. Furthermore, research indicates that at age 5, children tend to select someone of their gender as “really, really smart.” However, by ages 6 to 7, children’s perceptions shift to align with societal biases, and girls as young as 6 may believe that men are inherently smarter or more talented. This early influence makes early exposure to diverse career paths essential. To combat gender bias, outreach programs must introduce young girls to firefighting roles early, reinforcing the idea that they belong in the profession.
Focused outreach strategies may help build an inclusive fire service. This intentional outreach may include community engagement, firefighter camps for girls, junior, cadet or explorer programs, and mentorship programs. What do each of these approaches offer? Community engagement through active participation in local events allows for casual in-person communication with young women who may consider becoming firefighters, as well as their family members. Girls’ firefighter camps offer a basic level introduction to hands-on fire service tasks, while the junior, cadet or explorer level provides early skill-building opportunities. And finally, mentorship programs offer guidance and support for aspiring female firefighters.
From interest to action: Effective recruitment
Turning candidate interest into recruitment requires intentional strategies. To effectively recruit women into the fire service, we must define our approach to identify who we are recruiting, where we are recruiting, and how and when we are recruiting.
Intentional recruiting of women starts with who. Are we targeting specific age groups? Are we looking for diversity in cultural and linguistic backgrounds? These distinctions can help organizations find candidates who add value to the department rather than just fit into it.
Secondly, where are we recruiting? Does our strategy include local districts? Are we actively looking for candidates across the city, county, or even nationally? If local resources for personnel do not support the organizational crews you are striving to build, consider looking into areas where organizations have a culture of diverse, inclusive teams.
Further, how and when does recruitment happen? It is fair to say that every day is an opportunity for recruiting. Organic interactions with community members in day-to-day activities allow countless chances to share your department’s recruitment message. More formally planned gatherings, such as local community events, offer outreach efforts in visible, accessible locations. These might include “safe night out” events, job fairs or higher education campus/community events.
Social media is instrumental in presenting engaging content to reach younger audiences. High school outreach is valuable for reinforcing firefighting as a viable career for women. And consider interactive advertising such as videos and campaigns showcasing real-life experiences.
Remember, recruiting efforts should focus on impact over outcome to create lasting change. One shared story of how a firefighter positively impacted a member of their community is much more compelling than communicating the number and nature of calls your organization has supported. Impact is relatable and can compel action in those you wish to recruit.
Moving forward: Keys to lasting change
To create meaningful, lasting change, departments should:
- Ensure recruitment reflects the diversity they seek.
- Recruit in the communities they want to serve.
- Use inclusive language and visuals.
- Adapt outreach strategies based on performance. Like decisions made on the fireground, we must assess the success of our actions and adjust our approach as needed to achieve our desired results.
- Prioritize long-term consistency over short bursts of effort.
These priorities will help departments create a stronger, more diverse membership.
Final thoughts: Finding your fire family
True inclusion requires more than policy; it demands culture change. Departments must commit to long-term strategies for diversity, create welcoming environments, and shift from asking women to “fit in” to empowering them to add value. By doing so, the fire service not only grows stronger, it also becomes a better, more representative asset to the communities it protects.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Burton serves as Manager of Fire Training for Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) where she oversees training for both MMA undergraduates as well as industry professionals through the Center for Professional Mariner Development. Burton also serves as a captain with the Castine (Maine) Fire Rescue Department and volunteers as the Everyone Goes Home Advocate Region 1 Advocate Manager for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. A credentialed Chief Training Officer, Burton works as an instructor for Hancock County Fire Academy as well as a state fire instructor with Maine Fire Service Institute. She has presented at FDIC, the Women In Fire Leadership Conference and Women In Fire International, as well as regional and state level events. Burton holds a master’s degree in emergency management with a concentration in management of fire and emergency services from Eastern Kentucky University.
