Below: On July 5, 2015, The Washington Post telecast a story featuring two women firefighters from Indiana competing for gold in the bi-annual 2015 Ultimate Firefighter Challenge held in Springfield, Virginia.
Below: A Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria public information and promotional video released in January 2016 and introduced by the Victorian Minister for Emergency Services, Jane Garrett. The video shows the number of volunteers needed to run an effective fire service.
Below: A 2009 recruitment video in which female firefighter Joesy Sensi is interviewed about her experiences within the CFA.
Below: A segment produced by Jamal Williams in April, 2013, intended to show that a female firefighter is not sufficiently strong to do the job.
Below: A Skillsroad video released in October, 2014, featuring interviews with firefighters in Fire and Rescue New South Wales about a day in the life of a fire fighter. The first firefighter interviewed is a young woman.
Below: A November 2015 American CBC TV network investigative report on female firefighters, including claims of sexual harassment and discrimination.
On May 14, 2015, The New York Post published a news report titled 'FDNY's new entrance exam will lower physical standards'
The report details a supposed relaxation in the entry standards for the Fire Department of New York City.
The full text can be accessed at http://nypost.com/2015/05/14/fdnys-new-entrance-exam-will-lower-physical-standards/
On March 26, 2010, The Herald Sun published an opinion piece by Andrew Bolt titled 'Stop fighting gender wars'. The piece details the opposition from women within the Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) to some of the actions of the MFB's diversity development officer.
The full text of this comment can be accessed at http://www.heraldsun.com.au/archive/opinion/stop-fighting-gender-wars/story-e6frfifx-1225845492348
On February 25, 2010 The New York Post published a background analysis titled 'Sorry, ladies, but I want a fireman'
The piece suggests some of the problems associated with increased numbers of female firefighters.
The full text can be accessed at http://nypost.com/2010/02/25/sorry-ladies-but-i-want-a-fireman/
In October 2009 Cindy Branch-Smith submitted a thesis toward a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) Honours degree undertaken at Edith Cowan University. The thesis is titled 'A Qualitative Exploration of Women Firefighters' Experience in the Western Australian Volunteer Bushfire Service'.
The thesis draws on a wide range of relevant research to draw conclusions about the nature of women's participation in traditionally male-dominated service provision, focusing particularly on firefighting. This is a complex source, but repays careful reading.
Please note that copyright restrictions apply to its use.
The full text can be accessed at http://ro.ecu.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2399&context=theses_hons
(The thesis begins on the sixth page [page iv] of the document.)
On January 23, 2008, The LA Weekly published a detailed analysis of the situation of women firefighters in Los Angeles. The piece is titled 'Women Firefighters: The Gender Boondoggle'. It details some of the physical difficulties women firefighters confront.
The full text of the article can be found at http://www.laweekly.com/news/women-firefighters-the-gender-boondoggle-2151639
In 2007, the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (Bushfire CRC) at Latrobe University published a report of its research findings titled 'Volunteer firefighting: A Suitable Job for a Woman?'
The report looks at the conditions faced by women firefighters in a number of Australian states.
The full text of this report can be accessed at http://proceedings.com.au/tassiefire/posters_pdf/poster_jmclennan.pdf
