Workshop encourages women to be firefighters

Renton Regional Fire Authority teamed up with the King County Fire Association to host the 11th Future Women in Fire and EMS Workshop with 40 attendees.

From Oct. 19-20 at the Renton RFA Station 14, 40 women engaged in a variety of workshops to learn what it’s like to work as a firefighter and in emergency medical services (EMS). Shoreline Fire Department firefighter and public information officer Michelle Pidduck said this event began in 2017 and is held twice a year at different locations in south and north King County.

Pidduck said this was created by King County EMS to be for women, by women, so all of the instructors at the workshop are women. The workshop is an opportunity for women interested in a career in fire to get hands-on equipment, familiarize themselves, and see if this is something they want to do.

Pidduck said there have been great gains for women interested in firefighting, but 21 years ago, when she became a firefighter, there weren’t as many women firefighters, so many of them didn’t see themselves in that role.

After these events, many women walk away ready to continue the journey to become firefighters, while some find that the career field isn’t for them. But for the women who do see themselves as firefighters, Pidduck said it’s worked out for many, and some are now instructors at the same events where they started.

Participants are taken through the agility courses to see how hard it is to be a firefighter. At the end of the workshop, she said they give all the women their emails so they can stay in contact if they wish.

“That’s a big push with this is just letting them know that this is a career field,” Pidduck said. “We definitely make sure to educate them on how it is to become a firefighter and what it entails.”

During the two days of the workshop, participants put on all the gear and walk them through what firefighters really do daily. They learn how to use a ladder, a hose, how to start a chainsaw, and the daily elements of being a firefighter. Pidduck said they also teach a lot about the medical side because 80% of the calls that firefighters respond to are medical calls.

Pidduck said they go through what a chest pain call looks like, how to take vitals, and they get certified in CPR at a basic life support level. She said they touch on everything they can come across as a firefighter. They also have different stations at lunchtime so the women can explore specific areas such as medical or wildland fire fighting.

“So, we really make sure that we tackle as much as possible and then be available for them to ask any more beyond those steps,” Pidduck said.

Pidduck said some of the women didn’t realize there were so many female firefighters, and they thought the workshop was an amazing resource that made them realize they can be a firefighter.

“Often, as a little girl, they didn’t see it was an option. The male firefighters would come to their schools, and talk about fire safety, but didn’t see as many females,” Pidduck said. “So, it wasn’t even a thought process growing up until they started growing up until they started having more events where they could actually see, ‘Oh, there’s someone like me,’ and see that there is, that is as a potential career field.”