Firefighting as a woman in MetroWest: Challenges remain, but conditions have improved

When Anita Arnum was hired in 1987 as a firefighter in Boxborough, she became just the second woman in the department.

She recalled having to deal with some hazing, and that it felt like she had to work twice as hard to prove herself to her colleagues.

Arnum is now fire chief in neighboring Acton, one of three women to hold the position in Massachusetts — Angela Lawless (Maynard) and Jen Collins-Brown (Topsfield) are the others. Sandra Lowery retired as Seekonk's fire chief last year.

"Something that was true then, and it's likely true now, is to be a woman in fire services, you have to work twice as hard to be considered equal," Arnum said. "It's really important to get along with guys. When I first came in, there was a lot of hazing, things like that, but it doesn't seem to be like that anymore."

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Her story is similar to other women firefighters. A lot of departments, until recently, did not have any policies regarding pregnancy. Much of the equipment was either too large for women or made for a man's body.

Less than 10% of all firefighters are women

As of 2020, about 9% of the nation's firefighters — 89,600 — are women, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Of those, 17,200 were full time.

According to Women in Fire, an organization that promotes the advancement of women in firefighting, about 6% of all fire chiefs in the country are women.

"I've noticed, as far as moving up the ladder, it's been a lot tougher (being a woman)," said Arnum. "There's been a 'good ol' boy' network in firefighting. It's been reduced, but I don't think it's gone."

Southborough is something of an anomaly. Five of the town's 27 firefighters on staff are women, including Lt. Brittaney Doane, who has been with the department 10 years.

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She said along with the "culture" of women being accepted by male counterparts, the equipment is finally catching up.

"Station pants and even boots didn't come in the correct size," she said. "A lot of it was just tailored to fit men. I would say, probably in the last couple of years, a lot of the everyday station wear has improved."

The fire station itself has also improved. In the old Southborough station, there was no designated area for female firefighters to sleep, so a separate area had to be created from an existing room for Doane to sleep while working overnights.

"At the new station, we have our own designated areas," she said.

Also, there was previously nothing in union contracts about how pregnancies would be handled. Now there's an established protocol for pregnant firefighters.

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That's not the case yet in Franklin.

Franklin firefighter Katherine Forest, who joined the department in 2016, became pregnant with her first child two years later.

"I was the first female to have a child on the job," she said. "They didn't know what to do with me. There was no light duty — they didn't have any policies. They didn't have any paid leave, so I had to burn through all of my time."

Forest said she continued with normal firefighting duties — including fighting fires — until she was five months pregnant. At that point she had to stop because the equipment did not fit properly.

She has since had two more children. Forest said her fellow firefighters did as much as they could to help, taking on the heavier work and trying to keep her from dangerous situations.

"I think they're working on something (regarding pregnancy) for the next contract," said Forest, who is one of four women firefighters in Franklin.

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Ashland Deputy Fire Chief Lyn Moraghan, who has been a firefighter for nearly 31 years, agreed things have changed a lot since she started.

"Ten, 20 years ago, we (women) were still trying to find our place in the fire services," she said. "In general, there are a lot more women in fire services. When you consider it nationwide, it's still pretty low, but there's a lot more women in EMS (emergency medical services), especially with private ambulance services. With more women, it's not a taboo thing to see a woman show up, whether it's on a fire truck or an ambulance."

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She said one of the profession's biggest advancements is the support among women firefighters through several organizations and even social media. Women, she said, can reach out from one department to another to discuss issues they have faced or may face.

"Sharing the knowledge that you have in fire services can help make their (younger women) paths a little easier," said Moraghan. "I think we (veteran women) have created a pretty strong network and we can share our knowledge with the younger generation. It's a wonderful career, and there's a lot of support. I do a lot of mentoring. I'll sit with anyone from any department and talk about things with them, help them if I can."

Representation can inspire future generations

In Southborough, Doane is the public education officer and head of the SAFE (Student awarenes of Fire Education) program, which works in school with students. Having a woman in such a public role helps inspire future firefighters.

"The more you're out there, it shows the younger generation that departments are not made up of all men," she said. "It shows a lot of little boys and little girls it's not just men who can do the job. A lot of little girls have made comments, 'I didn't know you were a real firefighter.' This shows them they can do it, and it's a mindset that can benefit the future. More and more young women are going into the field."

Having more women in high-ranking positions also inspires women, demonstrating to them that it's possible to advance, just like men, Moraghan said.

"There are a lot more women in high-ranking position, not just fire services, but police and the military," she said. "All you have to do is look at the TV and you see them. I hear about another female fire chief getting promoted almost every day. It's great for the younger generation, because it shows they can do it and they can aspire to that."

Arnum said many women she worked with years ago didn't last long on the job, but she said the profession has improved for women and is continuing to get better. She said she never regretted leaving her career as a molecular biologist to become a firefighter.

"We're making some strides, and we bring a different perspective to the job," she said. "The fire department is like a family, and once people here know you can do the job and are here to do the job, they treat you like they treat everyone else. It's been a great ride."

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Women firefighters say profession is more responsive to their needs