CEO of Pyroc, and a Canadian firefighter
Give us a slice of your pre-shift routine.
In addition to being a firefighter, I am a wife and mother. My routine actually starts the day before, ensuring that whatever needs to be done while I am away is completed before I leave. That routine ends in the parking lot at work. During the drive in, I get spiritually grounded in my faith, so I am ready for whatever’s coming our way.
Looking back at your journey into the fire service, what advice would you give to young girls or women considering a career in firefighting today? What are the key lessons you’ve learned that you wish someone had told you earlier?
Listen up, young one. Your favorite moments should be about bonding with the hearts of the firefighters around you. Acknowledge they are different, so is their sense of humor and how they approach tasks. Stay focused on what makes you special and enjoy what makes you similar. Communicate what you’re thinking. I guarantee your approach is different, mostly be patient, it takes years. Always work hard and be fully committed to doing your part. Don’t expect special treatment, get dirty, sweat a lot, ask for help, admit when you’re wrong and don’t take it personally. That’s what makes you a firefighter. Most of all, don’t let the idea that your gender matters creep in.
What does 'sisterhood' or 'allyship' mean to you within the fire service, and how has the support of other women, or male allies, impacted your career and overall experience?
I believe the “hood” is in crisis. Today’s world continues to break down the heartstrings that were known for holding the fire service together 20 years ago. We’re turning the fire service into a business and creating a shift that seems to encourage satisfying selfish needs in a way that pushes us to unconsciously cut each other off. We’re spiraling away from the family it used to be; this weighs heavy on my heart.
What advancements or shifts within the fire service – whether in technology, training, or culture – are most beneficial for supporting and empowering women in the field, and what still needs to change?
It’s about supporting firefighters. Period. In North America, we would do well to let go of the idea that women are new and need special support outside the changing rooms, parenthood, and healthcare essentials (that men need also). We are pushing the pendulum too far. The men I care deeply about are being injured by the way we are compartmentalizing this issue and driving to turn it into a movement. All firefighters have unique needs pertaining to technology, training, and equipment and that is highly determined by the hazards within a department and the rescue disciplines provided to their communities – don’t lose focus.
Beyond the physical demands common to all firefighters, what specific challenge or opportunities have you encountered as a woman in this profession, and how have you navigated them?
Tackling the pressures I put on myself while worrying if my co-workers would accept me, but that’s not a gender-specific issue. Also being labeled a “female firefighter.” Overcoming stereotypes about physical behaviors, work ethic or opinions I might have, created by recruiters that modify hiring processes to force room for diversity that is outside of skills and knowledge – designed by human resource departments that have no idea what it means to risk a life, to save life. Corrupting motives of why people want to do the job, and what a qualified candidate could be. I navigate them by being true to my values: hardworking, moral integrity and accountability to set healthy boundaries and earn respect.