California Has Most Female Firefighters In Country

05/15/2007 (KFSN) -- Women firefighters are still struggling to climb the ladder in a male-dominated field, but they are making progress.

In March Governor Schwarzenegger appointed 48-year-old Kate Dargan as the state's first-ever female Fire Marshall.

In fact California has more female firefighters than any other state in the country, and many of them are right here in the valley.

Just one week after Christine Wilson had her baby. She was working out and getting back in shape. As a Fresno firefighter, being physically fit is not an option.

Wilson, Fresno Fire Arson Investigator, says "coming back into the field I wanted my peers to know that I could still perform the job so it was real important to me. I wanted to still meet the expectations and or exceed the expectations."

In fact, Wilson's managed to stay a step ahead of expectations, working her way up from firefighter to arson investigator. "When I come to work every day, I don't feel any different than anybody else. We wear the badge because it's something we've achieved through our abilities" says Wilson.

Her boss, Kerri Donis, feels the same way. She also happens to be the first female Fire Marshall in Fresno's history.

Donis says "people could see me as a trailblazer that's not why I pursued the career, to be the first female, whatever. I did it because I wanted to make a difference."

The path to the fire service is never easy. When you're a woman, the obstacles multiply. One of the biggest to overcome is public perception

Amber Storey, Fresno County Cal Fire Firefighter, says ""people look at me and say, what are you gonna do? You know what I mean? Until I do it and I prove myself to them and they're like whoa, you can do the job."

Firefighter Amber Storey, and engineer Chaloa Champion make up the only 2-female engine crew in Fresno County. Champion, Fresno County Cal Fire Engineer, says "I just want to work with somebody I expect everybody else should too."

Recently retired Chief Becky Robertson was the top-ranking cal-fire official in the Fresno-Kings area. "You kinda learn the politics of it. You learn what you need to do to get along and to move forward and to contribute" says Robertson.

Though not as frequent, sexism and sexual harassment still exist. In fact those issues took center stage at the "women in the fire service" annual convention in Oakland last month.

Jona Olssen, firefighter and trainer, says "I simply do not believe the mission of the fire service can be met until our departments are as diverse as the communities we serve."

We checked the staffs of some of the valley's largest fire departments. Fresno County has 9 full-time women. Fresno City Fire has 8, along with Madera-Merced-Mariposa County. Tulare County has 7, and Visalia has 3. Tulare and Clovis each have 1, while Merced and Hanford have no women firefighters.

But firefighters agree, when duty calls, it's not the gender but the job that's most important in any emergency.

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