Women fighting fires across Pacific Northwest

Thousands of female firefighters work on the lines of fires burning across our country, but it continues to be a male-dominated industry.

“I love working for my community, I love being a firefighter,” said Bend Fire Capt. Trish Connolly said Wednesday.

Connolly is passionate about her profession. So is Heidi Springer, who works as an engine captain for the U.S. Forest Service.

“I really enjoy the challenge of the job,” Springer said.

They are just two of many women fighting fires in our region.

“We have female smoke jumpers, female Hot Shots, female crew members, engine captains — the full range, really,” said Deschutes National Forest spokeswoman Jean Nelson-Dean.

Springer has been in the industry for more than 15 years.

“I did it as a summer job during college, and it’s something I just fell in love with,” Springer said.

The firefighting industry continues to be male-dominated. however.

“I was the first female firefighter hired at the Bend fire department in 2000,” Connolly said.

Connolly said her love for the profession started during her college years.

“That’s when I started fighting wildland fires during the summer and really enjoyed that,” she said.

Being a woman in the firefighter ranks still raises some eyebrows.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Connolly said, laughing. “I get that all the time.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics,fewer than 6 percent of firefighters nationwide were female last year.

“We have a hard time getting female applicants,” Connolly said.

Nelson-Dean added, “(I think it’s) partially perception. Once people get into it, they realize, ‘Hey, I can do this,’ and they build a lot of confidence.”

And those already on the job say more women are very much needed in the industry.

“It makes us a lot more well rounded (as an organization),” Springer said.

Springer and Connolly said they don’t feel strange our out of place as among the few women fighting fires.

“At the Bend Fire Department, we have a really inclusive fire department,” Connolly said.

“The guys here are great,” Springer said. “I feel like they’re my brothers. They’re family to me.”

Nelson-Dean said many women are striving in the industry and are moving up into leadership positions.

“They’re out there. They’re doing a great job,” Nelson-Dean said.

And many could not imagine doing anything else.

“No, I couldn’t,” Springer said. “I always thought about that question, and I enjoy what I do very much.”