Female firefighters host hands-on 'Women's History Month' recruitment event at FDNY's training facility
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Saturday, March 12, 2016, 9:02 PM
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It's been 38 years since a fiery group of determined women, led by a feisty young lawyer named Brenda Berkman, stormed into the all-male citadel of the FDNY.
On Saturday, more than 80 women interested in joining the Bravest’s brotherhood donned firefighting gear and battled mock fires during a hands-on “Women’s History Month” recruitment event at the FDNY’s training facility on Randall's Island.'
After rappelling down four floors of a building, Deanna Hailey, 24, of Brooklyn, said being surrounded by other women at the event was inspiring.
DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSFemale firefighters at the Fire Academy on Randall's Island.
“If you don’t see any, you don’t know,” Hailey said. “I only see men. But we can do it too.”
Sarinya Srisakul, the president of the Women Firefighters Association, who has been on the job for 11 years, offered encouragement to the possible recruits Saturday.
DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSAfter rappelling down four floors of a building, Deanna Hailey, 24, of Brooklyn, said being surrounded by other women at the event was inspiring.
“Fire Academy is a really difficult thing to do, especially as a woman,” Srisakul said. “But I really relied on the support of the women who went through it before me, the women from the United Women Firefighters, my group, they were a great support system for me.”
Things have changed since the original 41 joined the Bravest’s brotherhood — but it hasn’t always been easy.
After the first wave, the FDNY struggled to attract new women hires, and its numbers have waned over the decades, dropping to 21 women in 2003 out of 11,000 men.
But today, with 49 women in its ranks, the FDNY has more women firefighters than ever before.
DEBBIE EGAN-CHIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSBrenda Berkman, retired FDNY captain who had to sue the city to be the first female firefighter, at a gathering of female firefighters on Randall's Island.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro watched as the wannabe fire-eaters got a taste of the demands of the job Saturday.
“The more women we see here, the better it will be for the department, the better it will be for the city,” Nigro said.
The event was an eye-opener for attendees.
“I never knew it was an option,” said Sade Aguila, 22. “It was something that was too good to be true … because I’d never seen it.”
With Denis Slattery
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