In July, 2019 an all-female group of firefighters in New South Wales, Australia conducted a hazard reduction burn in Scheyville National Park.
We are a little late to the party, but here is an excerpt from a news release by the NSW Rural Fire Service at the time:
A hazard reduction burn in Scheyville National Park today is business as usual for NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) firefighting staff. However, there is cause for celebration as the operation marks the first hazard reduction burn with an all-female crew.
NPWS acting Executive Director of Park Operations, Naomi Stephens congratulated NPWS for providing equal employment opportunities and a supportive working environment for women.
“Working for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service offers a vast range of opportunities for those looking for unique employment,” said Ms Stephens.
“Firefighting is just one of the many vital services provided by NPWS to protect local communities and wildlife.
“It is fantastic to see women thriving in a male-dominated field.
“While today may be the first time an all-female crew is running a hazard reduction burn, increasingly women have been playing a vital role in day to day NPWS firefighting.”
“Having an all-female managed burn highlights the growing number of women at NPWS taking on roles in the firefighting field.
“Although we have women in just about every different role when it comes to firefighting, we’ve never conducted an all-female burn before. It’s one thing to say that women are every bit as capable as men, but actions speak louder than words, so we decided to prove it. And it’s fantastic that women from the RFS and Fire and Rescue NSW are joining us on the burn today.
“Twenty percent of NPWS firefighters are female and women make up 23% of incident management specialists, which is significantly above the average in the fire and emergency sector.
TRS’s post not ok – truely diminishes this celebrated milestone
Yet, one day we have to conduct a cost benefit assessment of how these types of programs are a necessary cost to the firefighting programs. If we conducted a all male event we would be called sexist. Lets wake up and promote folks who are qualified and leave gender out of the equation. There are many bad ass females in the field. Yet we continually see gender preferance move folks up in the field over experience. I left the Feds because I’d watch women surpass my position in one quarter of time of my experience with far fewer quals than myself. But one should not reach higher levels of employment base on gender alone. People should earn jobs based on merit not gender. Yes I was married to a female that served on a shot crew and know her hardships, but we are losing to many potential long term folks just because of their gender. Yet we spent how much extra money just to have a girls day out???? Turn over costs money.
Leigh Nolan is hands down one of the most competent and professional fire practitioners I have ever met. I was blessed to work with her on our trip across the pond in ’19. Aside from her day to day job, she is an absolute fantastic aerial supervisor and heavily involved as an ATGS and in their Birddog program… Awesome to see this !