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Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenging barriers faced by female firefighters, which limit workplace entrance and performance. Design/methodology/approach - Occupational barriers from both psychological and physiological viewpoints were explored based on previous literature and the reported experiences of female firefighters. Findings - A comprehensive review of literature synthesizes previous studies pertaining to gender anthropometric differences, female firefighters' experiences in the work environment and protective clothing issues. The physical capabilities of men and women in specific relation to performing firefighting activities are also examined. Issues of greatest concern are identified for personal protective clothing (PPC) and equipment, which have traditionally been designed for the male human form. This leads to a lack of protection, an increased risk of onsite injury, reduction in mobility and poorer comfort for female firefighters. Originality/value - This review provides an original overview of the critical workplace challenges faced by female firefighters. The need for female-specific PPC and equipment is specifically addressed to retain the growing number of women entering the male-dominated firefighting profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The popularity and importance of Volunteer Fire Departments (VFD) lay not just in their role as rescue associations, but also in their social and potential political roles in the local community. This article looks at how VFDs as institutions of patriotically engaged citizens played an important role in nation- and state-building during the transition from the Habsburg Empire to the new state of South Slavs. The new state faced difficulties in how to organize and unify the regulations for firefighters. The year 1933 proved very important, as this was the year when King Alexander issued a National Firefighting Law, which united all VFDs in the state into a common Firefighting Association of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The Firefighting Association of Drava Governorate lost some of its competences to the Royal Ministry, although the new law helped to unify the departments and make the compulsory language of command Slovenian. As well, the new Law allowed all citizens, male and female, to enter the VFD. Interwar VFDs prevailed as a male domain although women, especially from the medical services (samaritanke), were able to enter the departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution to On the Front Line records a dialogue between two female Fire Brigades Union (FBU) representatives in the Essex Emergency Control Room, who led industrial action over the imposition of a shift system that stretched their work-life balance to breaking point and constrained their ability to work full-time. Their testimony reveals how male members were mobilised in the interests of predominantly female control staff. Kate and Lynne's discussion illuminates the interaction of gender and class interests and identities in the union and in the lives of its women members. It provides insight into the efficacy of trade unions for women's collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper examines humour as an emergent theme within a long-term study of the gendered terrain of wildfire management. It analyses a set of semi-structured interviews that the study utilised to facilitate in-depth conversations with firefighter women about everyday gender relations, politics and practices within the New South Wales National Parks and Wildfire Service, Australia. The narrative analysis unpacks the dual function of humour as an explanatory tool during interviews, and as an everyday practice to negotiate adversity within the patriarchal stronghold of wildland firefighting. The study shows: a) how humour masks widespread occurrences of gender discrimination, and b) that the use of humour to negotiate gendered relations in everyday practices, and to describe embodied gendered identities, makes a difference for firefighter women's experiences of normative workplace culture. The paper concludes that humour enables flexibility and personal disclosure, which opens up strategies for managing, upholding, resisting, and living within and against asymmetric gendered power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine experiences with suicide exposure and bereavement among women firefighters. Methods: Women firefighters (N = 266, Mage = 37.64y) completed self‐report measures assessing their experiences with suicide exposure, history of suicidality, current psychiatric symptoms, and suicide risk. Results: Three‐fourths (74.4%) of participants reported knowing someone who had died by suicide; of these participants, 31.3% reported losing a fellow firefighter to suicide. Exposure to suicide during one's firefighting career was associated with more severe psychiatric symptoms and suicide risk. Greater impact of a suicide death was significantly associated with more severe current suicide risk, even after controlling for prior suicidality and other psychiatric symptoms. Conclusions: Women firefighters exposed to suicide during their careers may experience more severe psychiatric symptoms and increased suicide risk as compared to their counterparts without this exposure. In particular, women firefighters who are more severely impacted by a suicide loss may be at increased suicide risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been little research conducted on the reproductive health of female firefighters. The purpose of this study was to determine whether female reproductive health is a concern among firefighters and to identify key associated issues. Eighty-seven United States (US) firefighters participated in focus groups or interviews. Themes were created using grounded theory with NVivo analysis software and a three-phase coding process. The major finding emerging from the study is that female firefighter reproductive health is a significant concern among firefighters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research presented here examines how the demands of fire fighting uniquely affect women. A national sample of 73 female firefighters and fire-service leaders participated in focus groups and key informant interviews. Participants were asked about perceived threats to safety and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that lead to injury regarding gender differences. A thematic qualitative analysis was conducted and the following six themes were identified: (1) impact of working in a male-dominated field, (2) harassment, (3) similar rates/types of injury, (4) inadequate training, (5) ill-fitting gear, and (6) functional techniques/endurance. Both chronic and acute injuries/causes were discussed. Future direction will require diversity education and new training methodologies for the fire service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women protective service workers die by suicide at a higher rate than women workers in other occupational groups. However, no study has examined rates and correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among women firefighters, despite the potential for these data to inform suicide screening, prevention, and intervention initiatives. The purpose of this study is to describe and compare pre-career and career rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and identify their sociodemographic and occupational correlates among women firefighters.Methods: Data were obtained from 313 current U.S. women firefighters who completed a web-based survey (mean age = 37.30y, SD = 9.70y, 92.7% White).Results: Pre-career rates of suicide ideation, plans, attempts, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) were found to be 28.4%, 10.2%, 5.8%, and 11.2%, respectively. Career rates of suicide ideation, plans, attempts, and NSSI were found to be 37.7%, 10.9%, 3.5%, and 9.3%, respectively. Pre-career rates of suicide ideation (OR = 4.760, 95% CI = 2.820-8.034, p < 0.001), plans (OR = 4.867, 95% CI = 2.067-11.463, p < 0.001), attempts (OR = 7.175, 95% CI = 1.726-29.828, p = 0.007), and NSSI (OR = 9.676, 95% CI = 4.130-22.670, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with career suicidality. With few exceptions, neither sociodemographic characteristics nor firefighter experiences were associated with career suicidal symptoms.Limitations: Study limitations include a cross-sectional design and convenience sample recruitment strategy.Conclusions: Women firefighters report elevated rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Suicidal symptoms occurring prior to one's tenure as a firefighter-and not solely an aspect of firefighter career experiences-should be considered in suicide risk screening, prevention, and intervention initiatives. Studies examining modifiable suicide risk factors and correlates (e.g., psychiatric symptoms, workplace harassment) are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The physical demands of firefighting require both cardiovascular and muscular fitness, which both decline with age. While much has been published on age-related changes among male firefighters (FFs), data on female FFs are lacking. Aims To describe cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and muscular fitness in a sample of female career FFs ranging in age from 25 to 60 years and determine whether ageing affects their achievement of the current recommended professional CRF standards of 12 metabolic equivalents (METs). Methods Data were collected on female FFs over an 11-year period. A cross-sectional analysis using one-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc comparisons was used to compare age groups. Results There were 96 study participants. Maximum METs was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the 25- to 34-year age group (14.6 ± 2.1) compared with the 35-44 age group (12.9 ± 2.0 METs) and the 45-54 age group (12.2 ± 1.8 METs, P < 0.001). While the mean values of all measured age groups met or exceeded the 12-MET profession standard, as many as one-third of FFs <45 years of age and 43% of FFs >45 years of age fell below the benchmark of 12 METs. Muscular fitness as measured by maximum number of push-ups, sit-ups and back endurance was not significantly different between age groups. Conclusions Fire departments should recognize and take steps to ensure all female FFs maintain CRF and muscular fitness throughout their careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women first entered East Coast fire departments through forming ladies auxiliary groups, where women provided critical support services--offering assistance at the fire, holding fundraising events for the department, and building community relationships--while maintaining conventional gender roles. Exploring auxiliary work through the lens of collaboration reveals feminist strategies for creating ethos in a highly gendered workplace; this approach for studying the complexities of women's movement between background and foreground roles opens new avenues for considering women's navigation of rhetorical barriers in professional spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with increased suicide risk. Anxiety sensitivity (AS)—the fear of anxiety-related sensations—is both a vulnerability factor for and consequence of PTSD symptoms. AS also predicts suicide risk. To our knowledge, no study has examined whether AS concerns account for the association between PTSD symptoms and suicide risk. Method A total of 254 women firefighters completed a web-based mental health survey. The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5) was administered as a prelude to the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) to assess for exposure to a Criterion A event. The PCL-5, Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3), and Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) were utilized to assess PTSD symptoms, AS concerns, and suicide risk, respectively. Bootstrap mediation analyses were conducted, controlling for depression symptoms as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—Revised (CESD-R). Results Global and cognitive AS concerns, but neither physical nor social AS concerns, were statistically significant mediators of the relationship between PTSD symptoms (total score, re-experiencing and numbing clusters) and suicide risk. Alternate mediation models testing PTSD symptoms as a mediator of the relationship between AS concerns and suicide risk were not statistically significant, supporting the specificity of our proposed model. Conclusions Anxiety sensitivity concerns—specifically, cognitive AS concerns—account for the link between PTSD symptoms and suicide risk among women firefighters. Among firefighters with elevated PTSD symptoms, interventions that address cognitive AS concerns may thwart the trajectory to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on a hitherto un-researched group: women leaders within the UK Fire and Rescue Service. The process of modernizing the Fire and Rescue Service has increased expectations of workforce diversification and of women more easily entering and progressing within the organization. However, participants’ commentary testified to the difficulties faced when seeking recognition as a skilled woman in this context given the persistence of firefighter men as the occupational ideal type. Achieving recognition for both physical and non-physical skills remained an embodied, gendered and contested process and one that was not eased by promotion. Participants identified the heightened visibility that accompanied leadership as especially problematic. The findings suggest that some new elements of the modernized UK Fire and Rescue Service culture are less successful than they might be at supporting women in leadership roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within gender studies, research and theorizing have used archetypal 'masculine' occupations to explore how masculinity is accomplished and practised in social interaction. In contrast, little work has explored how masculinity is constructed in the voluntary sector. In this paper, we address this gap by exploring how masculinity is constructed and experienced by women volunteers who are active firefighters in rural and regional Victoria. Firefighting is widely recognized as a non-traditional occupation for women and they are underrepresented as volunteers as well as paid employees. We explore masculinity from the perspective of women volunteers because this can enhance our understanding of masculinity as a relational achievement as well as help to identify practices that they experience as problematic. Our research shows how voluntary work can afford a distinct range of resources for the 'doing' of gender and how this reflects the specific organizational and geographical contexts in which such volunteering occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By directly accessing women’s accounts of their active and ex-volunteer fire-fighting at the Australian Country Fire Authority (CFA), this paper seeks to understand women’s experiences in fire-fighting. The study documents the voices of women in work where they are mostly conspicuous by their absence, thus contributing to the small body of empirical studies of women in fire-fighting. Findings confirm the underrepresentation of women and provide evidence of horizontal and vertical gender segregation. Women fire-fighters are significantly challenged and discriminated against by individual and organisational behaviours. Other findings of this study are the co-existence of hostile and positive job factors for women fire-fighters; and women’s tolerance for complexity and paradox. These are scarcely documented in the literature on non-traditional occupations for women, and the paper suggests explanations based on concepts such as agency and coping strategies. Although women fire-fighters at the CFA had only a partial understanding of factors contributing to gender segregation, they voiced a desire and directions for organisational improvement to address gender issues. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article considers the roles, identities and experiences of female emergency services volunteers, most of whom are active fire fighters, within a regional brigade of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). It is based on interviews and explores how women both adapt to and resist the culture and in the process are transforming it. RFS women were motivated by values of camaraderie, skill and community participation. Their experiences were informed by inclusion and exclusion, and the complex association of gender and competence with physical strength and leadership. Drawing upon the Foucauldian insight that power is never simply repressive but productive and relational, the findings demonstrate how women actively negotiate their position as a collective and as individuals within a mixed gender environment. This article concludes that the demonstrated prowess and agency of women within a non-traditional work context is changing and transforming the cultures and practices of rural fire fighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of paid firefighters in the USA, 3.7% are women, compared to an expected representation of at least 17.0%. Although low female employment in this attractive career is often attributed to the job's physical demands, its fundamental cause is an occupational culture excluding many race and gender groups. This culture is the underlying problem, of which women's under-hiring, "glass ceiling," occupational segregation, lack of accommodation, social isolation, and sexual harassment are symptoms. Our surveys of firefighters and fire departments identify best practices for addressing such issues. However, for permanent change, these practices must be encompassed within development of an inclusive workplace culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores the interaction between gender and sexuality, comparing the experiences of lesbian and heterosexual women firefighters in the UK. It finds that female firefighters are constructed in terms of their sexuality. Lesbians may find it easier than heterosexual women to be accepted into the "watch culture," in which "masculinity" is highly prized and fitting in with colleagues is seen as essential for performing the job safely. Lesbians who come out at work may also avoid unwanted sexual attention, which is often problematic for heterosexual women who are stereotyped as being sexually available to male firefighters. While the acceptance of lesbian sexuality is based largely on the adoption of characteristics defined as "masculine," lesbians also provide a challenge to accepted models of "femininity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the issue of sex discrimination in fire fighting organizations in the U.S. as of August 2001. Historically, women in fire fighting organizations were unheard of. Even with steady increases in the number of female fire fighters in recent years, the numbers are still insignificant. This article begins by defining sex discrimination and the two types of sex discrimination: disparate treatment and disparate impact. Next, this article presents several cases which aim to provide a better understanding of sex discrimination in a fire fighting organization. Meanwhile, this article describes how the fire departments of San Diego, California, are leading the way in opening the firehouse doors for women. As of August 2001, the department had 80 women among the 900 firefighters, nearly 10 percent; compared to the national average of about 2 percent female. Due to recent increases in sex discrimination lawsuits against various fire fighting organizations, there are increases in efforts to diversify the fire department and get women on the force. In conclusion, the authors challenge members of existing fire fighting organizations to learn the guidelines surrounding sex discrimination to prevent unfair treatment toward women and to learn to change their attitudes toward a diversified workforce.

Prior findings regarding (a) the subordination of African American women firefighters through imposed exclusion, (b) expanded definitions of tokenism and workgroup composition, and (e) the omnirelevance of race/ethnicity in Black women's perceptions of work experiences are extended to White women firefighters. A nationwide sample of 9.4 White women firefighters completed a 20-page survey and 1 hr interview developed from these previous findings. Both groups experienced insufficient instruction, hostility, silence, hyper-supervision, lack of support, and stereotyping and supportive as well as strained relationships with coworkers. Specific enactments of these global commonalties often varied along racial/ethnic lines. The present data, which start with the experiences of Black women then examine the experiences of White women, model an important methodological approach for understanding difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literature review investigates females in the male-dominated field of firefighting. Various psychological and physical stressors are identified which are unique to women in this occupation. Psychological stressors include: self-doubt, skepticism of their abilities by others, performance pressure, sexual harassment, and social ostracism. Physical stressors include: ineffective physical conditioning, improper training in the use of power tools, and ill-fitting personal protective equipment. Proactive solutions are suggested as methods to remediate these problems, such as: sensitivity and social skills training, education, stress management and assertiveness training, task specific physical conditioning, proper training in the use of power tools, and the availability of personal protective equipment in sizes to fit women. Occupational therapy practitioners are identified as professionals qualified to carry out much of this training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes the incidence and nature of gender harassment for African American women firefighters. Contextual indicators of sexual harassment; Conceptual underpinnings of the indicators; Indicators of a harassing climate.

Describes the responses of African American women firefighters to sexual and gender harassment. Developing typologies of response categories and their incidence; Motives or goals of harassment responses and their realization; Correlates of response patterns.