WOMEN IN THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE
VOLUNTEERS CORNER
Today volunteer and on-call fire departments are faced with many changes, none more significant than those associated with the addition of female firefighters. It’s only a matter of time before all departments have female members and must change the way they operate. The time to prepare for such changes is now.
Females entering the fire service traditionally have not been greeted with open arms, which has forced them to take legal action against some departments. While most of these cases have occurred in career departments, many of the same issues and concerns associated with female firefighters are applicable to on-call and volunteer departments.
PREPARATION AND POLICY
Hiring. Establish proper hiring practices that do not discriminate against women or create an adverse impact on the ultimate selection. Review all of your criteria prior to hiring, particularly if you have agility testing. Many career departments have found themselves in court trying to defend their discriminatory practices. Also, make sure all facets of the hiring process are fair to both men and women. Pay particular attention to interview practices where oral panelists may be prejudiced against women and evaluate accordingly.
Harassment. Preventing sexual harassment is of utmost importance. The department has the obligation to ensure a workplace that is not considered “hostile.” Sexual harassment includes direct and indirect, subtle and not so subtle actions. These may include implications that hiring, promoting, and/or firing are affected by sexual behavior; unwelcome sexual advances; or when certain actions create a work environment that is considered hostile, offensive, or intimidating to any individual.
The department must have a sexual harassment policy (actually an antisexual harassment policy) that states that the intention of the fire department is to maintain the proper atmosphere and working conditions. Include a general statement that says that any action that creates a hostile or offensive work environment is not permitted. Consult your legal counsel when drafting the policy.
In spite of the best intentions, there will be members of the department who refuse to accept the fact that females can be firefighters, and there will be those that feel that the women must adapt to the men’s world. The legal system disagrees and will force organizations to change, often at great expense. Everyone in the department from chief to firefighter has the responsibility to ensure a harassmentfree workplace. Members who refuse to change and violate the sexual harassment policy must be disciplined quickly and effectively. The message to the entire department must be that improper behavior w ill not be tolerated.
Conflicts of interest. What do you do about on-the-job romance? Couples working together can create uncomfortable situations. In career departments you have the option of assigning the individuals to different shifts or possibly different stations. Volunteers, however, usually are assigned to a station based on their residence or work locations and are required to respond to all calls when they are available. Some couples can handle this situation, but others cannot. Establish ground rules beforehand, or the department will have no control of the situation or recourse for action. You may wish to view this in the same light as you would relatives in the department. Do you have a policy where siblings, fathers and sons, and mothers and daughters work together?
Marriage between firefighters creates similar problems. What if one is an officer? How are dangerous jobs and situations to be handled? Do you assign spouses as working partners during fires? Plan ahead and anticipate potential concerns. Check with other departments that have been faced with this situation. Discuss it with your firefighters. See what the business community is doing and check with other municipal services such as police departments. The fire service is not the only agency that must address these issues.
Pregnancy. Much controversy exists as to how^ pregnancy should be addressed. Career departments have the option of assigning females to light duty or limited-hazard duties, but most on-call and volunteer departments do not. Adopt a policy sensitive to the women and protective of the fire department. Consider the protection of the fetus and not exposing the mother to toxic substances such as the products of combustion. Generally the department may establish a policy that would provide for a leave of absence for the entire term of the pregnancy. There may be some light-duty/nonhazardous work that can be assigned such as fire prevention, public fire education, or classroom instruction. You may wish to consult with a labor attorney to avoid problems, and you should establish this policy before any pregnancy occurs.
WOMEN VOLUNTEERS
While most women do not wish to risk their pregnancy while working as firefighters, they may wish to do other duties. If you respond to EMS calls, there may be a question raised as to whether or not the individual should be allowed to respond, and if so, for how long into the pregnancy. These questions may best be answered by a department physician.
Another option for maternity/pregnancy is to transfer the liability to the woman’s physician. Provide the doctor with a detailed job description and place the doctor in the position of making a decision as to whether the pregnant firefighter should be allowed to continue working.
Grooming. For years the fire service has been able to maintain conservative grooming standards, mostly on the basis of safety. But with the addition of females, some standards are perceived to be discriminatory. In order to realistically deal with the issue, departments have relaxed standards on the length of hair and on wearing jewelry.
The use of nomex hoods has made the safety issue of long hair a moot point. Women are permitted to have longer hair as is socially acceptable. Career departments may have requirements for members to pin up their hair when on duty, but it may not be realistic to expect a female volunteer to have her hair up all the time in anticipation of an alarm. The department needs to establish a reasonable policy on this issue. Bear in mind that the policy also will affect the men—some male members wish to grow their hair long or wear it in some other current fashion.
Some may wish to establish a policy that permits women to have longer hair while restricting men under the premise of maintaining acceptable societal standards. The men may view this as discriminatory, but many private businesses and public agencies, such as police departments, have been able to establish conservative grooming standards.
Prior to female firefighters, jewelry could be banned. In fact, in many career departments it is probably banned for both males and females while on duty. Again, the problem of being on call presents a different situation. As volunteers are subject to call at any time, it is not reasonable and prudent to expect that females, or males, will never wear jewelry, such as earrings. As with the issue of hair length, the department probably can establish acceptable conservative standards.
Quarters. In career departments, dormitory arrangements are an issue. Fortunately, this generally does not affect volunteer departments. But one concern is rest room/locker room facilities. Some older stations do not provide separate facilities, and the department must work out some type of arrangement that is acceptable to all parties.
These are some of the issues that need to be addressed as women enter the volunteer and on-call fire service. Prepare yourself. There are many valuable sources of information such as police departments, other fire departments, the private sector, and your department’s labor attorney. Another very good resource is the organization Women in the Fire Service, P.O. Box 5446, Madison, WI 53705, (608) 233-4768. It has done much research on this issue and will be able to provide you with assistance.
Many volunteer and on-call departments are faced with dwindling membership. If a department opens its doors to women, it will greatly increase its personnel selection pool. Women have much to offer the fire service. Take advantage of this resource to create a more well-rounded department.
