“I never had the thought in my head going to school and going through training that this is something that I couldn’t do,” said Danae Piersma, a superintendent with the Region of Waterloo’s paramedic services. “It wasn’t until I was on the road, and I had feedback from the public, feedback in the way of, ‘Oh, you can’t lift,’ or ‘Oh, you shouldn’t be driving that.’ “
A woman visiting the fire hall a couple of months ago asked a male firefighter if Kitchener firefighter Alicia Eagle was able to drive the fire truck, Eagle told the crowd of about 40 people at the central branch of Kitchener Public Library.
Another woman asked if she could handle the job to the same degree as the male firefighters. Thankfully, Eagle said, her colleague responded, “ ‘Actually she’s a lot sharper than some of us. She can handle it. She works out, she’s fit, and she’s tested at the same level that we are.’ “
Things have improved over the years — police, paramedics and fire services actively recruit women and other under-represented groups, managers are supportive, there are mentors — but it’s still a challenge.
The effort earlier in her career to constantly prove that she was as capable as her peers was “exhausting,” Piersma said.
“I can promise you those comments are still coming,” said Eagle.
As the only woman in her 14-member crew, “there are times I’ve had a tool taken out of my hand and I’m like, ‘Uh, I know how to use that. I can do that.’ So it’s still happening, but for the most part most people are on the same page and our department is very supportive.”
Having women in first responder roles is important, all three said. “Women bring something different — diversity of thought, of personal experience, perspective of things, different talents,” said Jen Davis, deputy police chief with Waterloo Regional Police.
They can play a key role in working with victims in some crimes, such as sexual assault, crimes that exploit youth or intimate partner violence, Davis said. Sometimes victims will specifically ask to speak with woman. “We can excel in certain roles where we bring something, that sense of safety and security, with victims.”
Eagle said her small frame has proved useful on some calls in tight spaces.
A female presence also sends an important message, to young women who might aspire to the jobs, but also to young men, she said.
On a recent call, a little girl and her mother asked Eagle if they could take her photo.
“It’s just nice to be out in the community, showing our face,” Eagle said.
“We’re here, and we are growing in numbers, and we are all capable.”
By the numbers
About 11 per cent of Waterloo’s firefighters are women (12 out of 112), and half the four senior firefighter leaders. Sixteen per cent of employees at Cambridge Fire are women, including 16 firefighters. Kitchener Fire has 16 female firefighters of 196 (eight per cent) and 52 female employees (22 per cent). Nationally about 11 per cent of professional and volunteer firefighters are women.
The Region of Waterloo has 336 paramedics, of which 46 per cent (155) are women. Nationally, about 40 per cent are women.
Both nationally and at Waterloo Regional Police, about 23 per cent of police officers are women. About 16 per cent of WRPS midlevel leaders (sergeant and staff sergeant) are women, while 44 per cent of senior leadership at the Waterloo force are women.