SPANAWAY, Wash. — A group of female firefighters trained together in Spanaway over the weekend during an event that was meant to both mentor and empower them.
The event brought together more than 40 female firefighters from California and Washington. They covered live fire training, worked with power tools and practiced auto extrication.
Firefighter Kelsey Nunley, who started in Seattle last year, said getting hired was a long process.
“I took multiple tests over seven years,” Nunley said.
For her, having a mentor made a big difference. A training like this helped her sharpen her skills.
“This is an opportunity to give people that skill-set that might help them advance in their careers,” Los Angeles City Fire Battalion Chief Kristine Larson explained.
Larson has been a firefighter for 29 years and said she’s noticed more women entering the field, but admits there’s still a long way to go. The industry is still dominated by men. The National Fire Protection Association puts the number of female firefighters below 10%.
“A lot of these women are the only women in their department so their ability to train with other women, round table with other women, and figure out the other challenges that we have.”
The group also sponsors “Camp Blaze,” a free camp for teen girls who are considering becoming firefighters. The camp is run by volunteers and funded through donations.
"(We) continue to help encourage each other. We may work with men, but now we have a group of women at our backs that will help each other out,” Nunley said.