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Phoenix Fire Department Welcomes Females To The Field

For a long time, the role of fire fighters have been predominantly held by men, but the Phoenix Fire Department is looking to buck the trend.

Only a small percentage of Phoenix firefighting academy recruits are female.

An information session was held on Wednesday night by the Valley Women’s Firefighter Society for women interested in a career in firefighting.


“When I was little I wanted to be a firefighter. My uncle was a firefighter,” said Phoenix firefighter Laura Bradley.

In the year that Bradley has been with the Phoenix Fire Department, she’s become accustomed to being the only women on her shift.

“I think I fit in pretty well with the guys,” Bradley said. “Hopefully they think the same thing.”

Battalion Chief Reda Bigler admits that there is a vast gender ratio within the department.

“We have 1,600 sworn members; approximately 72 of them are women. So that statistic comes out to be 4.2 percent, so we’re actually higher than the national average,” said Bigler.

The average on a nationwide basis is roughly 2 percent.

“Having that no quit, that gut instinct, being able to problem solve think on your feet,” Bigler said, are all qualities they look for in a firefighter. “You have to be able to do the job, that’s most important.”

Even though the trainings are all the same for men and women, female firefighters bring unique skills and qualities to the job. 

“I think we bring something unique to the table, whether we are going on a medical call that involves another female, we’re a friendly face or a familiar face. I think our motherly instinct always comes in when it comes to kids,” said Bigler.