City of Decatur Fire Chief Toni Washington is one of a handful of women in the U.S. who lead fire departments.
Nationally, 9% of firefighters are women. An advocacy group estimates just 6% of fire chiefs are female. Hoping to boost those percentages, the City of Decatur and DeKalb County joined forces over the weekend to host two free “Females in the Fire Service” events to introduce women to the profession. The organizers referred to the sessions as “fire camp” for short.
“We found often women don’t know or aren’t aware of the fire service (opportunities) in Atlanta,” Washington said.
In an effort to change that, women could register to spend a few hours at Fire Station Number 7 in DeKalb County on Saturday, where they got a tour of the building, introductions to current female firefighters, a demonstration of how to respond to an emergency led by women and a chance to try handling tools used during a rescue.
The station was built in 2021, so it’s equipped with up-to-date technology, separate bathrooms for men and women and even semi-private sleeping quarters with Tempur-pedic mattresses. There are also several common areas where employees can socialize, including a kitchen, gym and movie theater.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
DeKalb Post Coordinator Capt. Annette Haygood, who gave a tour of the building, said the new station is a lot different than her first firehouse.
“This has really evolved from what we’ve come from,” she said. “We didn’t have walls, we didn’t have these nice mattresses, we didn’t have the privacy.”
Although there were roughly two dozen attendees total during two Saturday sessions, DeKalb fire officials said 47 people registered for Sunday’s event. Some Saturday participants, like Rolenn Ford, said they were ready to sign up.
“I loved it,” Ford said. “I’m definitely glad I came. I had a great experience. I definitely want to apply.”
Ford, 30, currently works in data entry but wants to change careers.
“I was definitely looking for something that would provide for my son and myself, a better life,” she said.
Natasha Sloan, 44, had a similar reaction. She works in banking and finance, but is also looking to make a switch.
“I thought it was great,” she said. “It was really informative and interesting to see what women are doing in the industry right now.”
Sloan said she plans to apply soon. If the women are accepted to DeKalb’s program, they’ll enter a 40-week academy that they’ll be paid to attend.
“When they come out, they’ll be a firefighter,” said DeKalb fire’s public information officer Capt. Jaeson Daniels. “When people complete the academy, they leave with their fire certification as well as their EMS (Emergency Medical Services) certification.”
According to the DeKalb County website, starting salary for a firefighter is $55,692, with a $3,000 sign-on bonus. Recruits get $53,040 during training.
Sunday’s event will be held in a different location — DeKalb County Fire Rescue Training Academy at 3161 Warren Road. It will last from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s open to girls ages 14-18. Registration is required.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
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