n the Las Vegas Valley, women are challenging the standards that firefighters have to be tall, muscular men. Instead, they use their wits, brains and other techniques to serve their community, reports Las Vegas-Review Journal.
“Becoming a firefighter isn’t a traditional role that women take, but they absolutely can do it,” said Henderson Fire Captain Kim Moore. “You need to be thick-skinned at times, have a lot of dedication and have the desire to take care of people in their time of need. You won’t get anything handed to you just because you’re a girl. It takes hard work and strength.”
Moore became inspired to enter the field by her father, who worked as a firefighter for 19 years in North Las Vegas.
At 5-foot-3-inches tall, Moore worked as a dispatcher and EMT at MERCY Ambulance before entering paramedic school and interning under Henderson Fire Department Battalion ChiefDoug Koopman, who she said inspired her to enter the field.
She initially failed the physical test, but she passed the second time and was hired as one of Henderson’s first female firefighter paramedics in 1995.
摩尔圣诞节期间被提拔为工程师2000, and seven years later, she was promoted again to the city’s fire captain.
“You have to be at the top of your game and know what’s going on because you compete right along with all of the guys,” Moore said. “The first time I tested as captain, I was not selected, and it burns, but I didn’t feel like they were being biased. They just want the best candidates for the job.”
Nationwide, women firefighters have filed a number of suits alleging sexual harassment or gender bias in promotions. Moore said she’s never experienced any sexual harassment.
Henderson spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said promotions in the fire department are tough to come by because there’s not a lot of vertical movement in the field compared to other industries.
“In the Clark County Fire Department, as many as 1,000 people have applied to be a firefighter when we only had 20 openings in previous years,” said Tim Szymanski, the department’s spokesman. “The number of openings varies as well as people applying, but there is always a significant number of people that apply.”
因为消防员工作24-hour shifts and sleep in a dorm by the kitchen with little to no privacy, it can be an uncomfortable situation, but Moore said it helps form a close bond.
“We’re right next to the stinky boys who are snoring,” Moore said. “I don’t mean to make it sound like a cliche, but these are truly like my brothers. We’re a family. We tease each other all of the time.”
There’s also the emotional aspect of the job, which can affect anyone, regardless of gender.
“The hardest moments I’ve faced were the individual calls I couldn’t help,” Moore said. “It’s difficult to see a child who’s not breathing on the floor or see someone with blood everywhere, but we’re there to do a job.”
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