Women firefighters struggle for first rung

In New York City, though, the number has never grown past a trickle. After that first set of hires in the early '80s, the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) didn't hire any women between 1982 and 1992. One or two have joined the force each year in the past decade.

FDNY officials could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts, but observers say one major barrier is New York's emphasis on a physical-abilities test that requires recruits to drag dummies and hoses, crawl through mazes, and haul ladders.

More recent female recruits in New York and elsewhere say the situation has improved, thanks to more-accepting male colleagues and continued litigation. But the fight for equality doesn't end when a court orders integration.

Earlier this year, a newsletter written by San Francisco firefighters criticized women department members as "sisters-without-backbone," "little girls playing pretend fireman," and "job thieves."

Bringing women into fire departments requires leadership at the top of the department, says Sheila Thomas, director of litigation for San Francisco-based Equal Rights Advocates.

Minneapolis Fire Chief Rocco Forte, for example, says he made diversifying his department a priority when he took command. Chief Forte created a cultural committee to identify organization barriers blocking women from joining and started a 12-week training program to prepare women for the obstacle- course test.

Now, the passing score is based on the average fitness exam administered to all firefighters each year, so no one can complain that new recruits are lowering standards.

Women currently account for 16 percent of firefighters in Minneapolis, and Forte's goal is 20 percent. "We're better accepted in the community and understand the community better," he says. "It's made us a stronger department."

In New York, women firefighters say they must work to make their roles known, reaching out to women in schools, athletic clubs, and their own families. They also helped organize a program at New York's city college that gives women four months of physical training before the test.

While no women firefighters were among those who died in the World Trade Center, two female police officers and an emergency medical technician were killed in the collapse.

And though the FDNY's female firefighters raced to the World Trade Center in equal proportion to their male counterparts, their contributions have received little attention. Heroism, they say, has been defined in decidedly male terms.

"We've worked just as hard, just as patriotically, and in just as dedicated a manner as men," says Berkman, now an FDNY lieutenant. "It's important for Americans to know all the different kinds of people who contribute to the defense of their country."

Berkman and other women firefighters say they aren't sure how they'll nudge the department to hire more women while mourning still overshadows other business.

So far, they simply point to the numbers. In October, FDNY inducted its first class of recruits after the attack: 308 men and zero women.

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