Dabane conquers fear of fire to lead
In celebration of Women’s Month, we are profiling females who pursued careers in male-dominated fields. This feature runs every Wednesday until the end of August. Stories by and
A visit to a family member who was admitted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital exposed a then 23year-old woman to a career she later fell in love with.
Priscilla Dabane wanted to be a police office or do a computer literacy course.
“I wanted to be a Johannesburg Metro cop. [Then as] I was visiting a family member at Bara, I was around the casualty ward when paramedics were delivering a patient.
“[The paramedics] said she was a P1 patient. I thought, ‘this language sounds interesting, I think this is what I want to do’,” Dabane said.
“The next morning I went to inquire about the courses at the Emergency Management Services (EMS). I was told I needed a basic ambulance services course or I could join provided I volunteered first. I volunteered and six months later I was hired,” she said.
‘‘ I get my hands dirty with the team and I give people a chance to lead
Dabane, 46, is now the station commander at Kibler Park fire station. She said her love for people took her to the top.
“Our work requires that you work in fire and emergency services, but at first I did not want to do fire. I really loved working with patients and seeing them get better.
“[But] one day there was a fire in Alexandra and I went, the fire had just started and only caught one shack.
“I could not just go in, my male colleague lifted me up and told me to go for it. I jumped and when realised I was okay, then I ran across the roof of multiple shacks and reached where the fire was.
“I pulled the hose pipe and extinguished the fire. That decision saved lives and I started liking fire-fighting,” she said.
Dabane, a single mother of three, started her management career at EMS in 2003 and said like many females, it was challenging to assert herself.
“I was the first female to work at the Sandton fire department. Sometimes people did not take me seriously because I am a woman. [But] I have learned that when I speak to people respectfully they do what I [ask] them to do.
“You must have a good manner of approach and I always use inclusive language like ‘guys let’s go clean’. I get my hands dirty with the team and I always give people some type of a leading role so they can be mentored. No boss can work alone; when I am not here, I need them,” she said.
Dabane said she enjoys watching movies with her friends when she is off-duty.