Firefighter - 2020 - 53

53

THE

IGNITING CHANGE:
Women in the Fire Service Campaign

By Janel Vasallo

In 2018, the Lakeland Fire
Department (LFD) developed a
recruitment campaign focused on
raising awareness about careers in
the fire service among women.
The campaign is a 10 minute
video featuring women firefighters
in the department, as well as female
fire officers from other departments
throughout the country, as they share
personal experiences and career
advice. The campaign was expanded
in 2019 to include more resources
for area-schools to further support the
messages in the video production.
According to the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA),
approximately 4% of the nation's paid
firefighters are women; an average
that also applies at the LFD, with 4%

of its 179 personnel being women as
well. The LFD is continually looking for
ways to diversify its workforce so that
its first responders are reflective of the
community they serve.
This campaign is an extension
of the department's long-running
recruitment efforts, and its objective
is to get young women to consider
firefighting and emergency medicine
as an option when assessing their
future career goals. Many departments
across the nation face the similar
challenge of having less women in
its workforce, for a variety of reasons.
The project was developed
by LFD's Fire Chief, Doug Riley.
He shares, "our intention is to
bring awareness to young women
everywhere that a career in the

fire service is both rewarding and
attainable. We want to change the
perception that firefighting is a
predominantly male profession and
educate women considering potential
careers, that a career in the fire service
is not only beneficial to them but to
their communities."
In addition to the video
production, which is available online at
the department's website and YouTube
page, the campaign also includes
speaking engagements at area
schools, workshops with community
organizations that focus on women
like the Girl Scouts and Girls Inc., print
items and more.
To watch the video and learn more,
about the LFD's campaign, visit
lakelandgov.net/IgnitingChange.
http://www.lakelandgov.net/IgnitingChange
Firefighter - 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Firefighter - 2020
