Hiring Women Fire Fighters Opposed
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Chief
The view that I am about to express is certainly not the popular one these days. However, I must take issue with some of the comments attributed to some of our fire chiefs in recent fire service publications.
Allow me to answer two questions that should immediately come to the reader’s mind. One, I did not have women fire fighters working for me when I was a fire chief. Two, there is not doubt about the ability of women to perform the functions of a fire fighter. They are doing it, although I question the quality of their efforts. Having made those two statements, I challenge the whole concept of women fire fighters.
There is a well known fact regarding boxing that I will parody. A good female can do the job of a fire fighter, but a good male can do it better. This is the base point of my objection. There is no need for female fire fighters in the career fire service. I do not in any way dispute that there is a real need for women to be fire fighters in some of our rural volunteer areas, but again, the reason why there is this need is that there are not enough men available.
At the present time, this nation has the highest unemployment rate in modern history. There are literally thousands of men who cannot find jobs who could and would become good fire fighters if given the opportunity.
The waiting list for most fire departments contain many men who want to become fire fighters just as badly as do the few women who strive for the job. The fire service is suffering cutbacks in personnel all over the country. Good men, already trained and of proven ability, are being let go because of economics. Yet other jurisdictions are employing females because these women want to prove they can be a man’s equal. It just does not make sense to me to take someone who may not do the job as well as someone else could.
No issue is taken with there being a place in the fire service for women—only that there is no place for them in fire suppression. The use of female fire inspectors, investigators, communicators, dispatchers, clerical workers and such has merit. It may well be that females can do non-fire fighting jobs as well, or even better, than males.
In fact, there is a benefit not often recognized when consideration is given to hiring females in “noncombatant” jobs. It is the opportunity to break away from the traditional use of the sick, lame and lazy in non-fire fighting jobs. Progressive chiefs would certainly rather have a dedicated person do fire prevention than one who is merely putting in time until he can, or has to, retire.
Women as paramedics
At this point, someone is sure to ask about the paramedic aspect of the fire service. Here, too, I do not believe that females can do the job as well as males. Most fire departments require a dual function of their paramedics. These people are usually expected to fight fires when not engaged in rescue activities. In those few circumstances where the rescue operation is not a part of fire suppression, then the female can be just as effective as the male.
The question of the effect of the female menstrual cycle seems to be avoided for the most part. One female fire fighter was recently quoted as saying that if she could not perform during that time of the month, she would not have taken the job. Just as a matter of interest I asked approximately 20 females I know, both young and older women, if they felt that their period had any effect upon their physical ability, and everyone indicated that it did to some degree.
There are those who will say that men are not physically the same at all times too. If a man doesn’t feel well, his physical performance will fall off. That is all too true, but must remember that the female has the problem of a menstrual cycle in addition to those days when she doesn’t feel well for other reasons.
In almost all the reports I’ve read concerning the female fire fighter, comment was made regarding the necessity for them to engage in an exercise program to develop their strength and ability to do fire fighter evolutions. Usually this comment was made regarding the entrance exam. What happens after they have completed their probation? Do they continue to work out to keep their arms and shoulders developed?
Effect of childbearing
Does childbearing have an effect upon the physical condition of the female? Will she be able to perform as well after she has had one or more children? I don’t know. If fire fighting is as dangerous a profession as we all know it to be, what about the effect it might have on the unborn child? Would, for example, smoke inhalation or physical exhaustion, have a detrimental effect on a pregnant woman? Maybe there are answers to these questions that have not been brought out. I think they should be answered.
At times I find myself wondering if the female fire fighter is not being exploited as a means of gaining publicity for the fire departments that have employed her. I sincerely hope not for the sake of the fire service, but it looks that way to me.
Come on, chief, do you really mean it when you say something to the effect that “if another one just like her comes along, I’d be happy to have her”? Wouldn’t you really rather have an average man to do the job? I feel that it’s time for this nation’s fire service to be honest with itself. An outstanding woman can do the job, but an average man can do it better. I say again, women do not belong in fire suppression.
I have read and heard comments to the effect that having female fire fighters is deflating the ego of the male fire fighter. The fire service has always prided itself on doing a dangerous job; now women can do it. The situation not only deflates the ego, it degrades the whole profession.
Need for strength cited
I need not tell the fire service that ours is an extremely responsible career. We all know that the job is physically exhausting for even the strongest of men. We all know that, at times rescue efforts call for almost superhuman efforts and that many times the lives of our citizens are actually held in the fire fighters’ hands.
Is it right to submit the lives of our people to the chance that the fire fighter cannot perform adequately to overcome the situation? Is it right to subject the other members of a fire fighting effort to the chance that one of their members cannot perform as well as someone else could?
What about those times when fire fighters are overcome or trapped and only the brute force of their fellow men can save them? I believe that our nation’s fire service does not need questionable effort in such a hazardous profession.
Again, I say, “a good female can do the job, but an average male can do it better.”
