Women fighting fires say colleagues’ support crucial
Krystyna Krakowski became a firefighter in Florida at a time when there were few women to work beside or guide her in the service. Twenty years later, she is not only thriving but also recruiting more females into the profession.
Krakowski is one of five women at Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue who made department history last year by working an entire shift with no male colleagues – a feat that went viral on social media. She and her team members said they have been able to succeed because of support from the men they work with and by pushing through every challenge that comes their way.
The women noted they are held to the same standards as the men, physically and otherwise, and that the public should be aware that men and women of the department work together to help people.
“I’ve worked super hard to be strong from Day One,” said firefighter Julie Dudley. “I still remember being in an academy and the instructor looking at me going, ‘If you want to do girly pushups you can,’ and I was like, ‘Excuse me. No, I’m good. I got this.’ ”
The firefighters’ success is notable in a profession so heavily male-dominated, one that has seen numerous lawsuits from women alleging discrimination and sexual harassment in fire departments across the country.
The day they worked the all-woman shift, they were encouraged and cheered on by the men of the Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue.
“Even our battalion chiefs sent us a message: ‘Good luck, ladies, all eyes are on you today. Show ’em what you got,’ ” Krakowski said. “It was exciting to say that every position was filled by a female . ... We played every role. We’re capable. We’ve made it.”
It wasn’t always easy. In the fire department where she previously worked, Krakowski said, she was the target of hazing. She said fellow firefighters awoke her with an airhorn, held her down and zip-tied her hands and legs. When the incident came up on a radio show, Krakowski said she felt compelled to call in because comments from the public were so awful.
“It was heart-wrenching to hear another woman say, ‘She doesn’t belong in a firehouse. It must be a girl who needs attention,’ ” Krakowski said. “I’m a hardworking single mom. I’ve been that way almost my entire life; nothing has ever been given.”
Kelsey Krzywada said that at her first fire school, instructors were unwilling to help when she struggled with the training because of her small size. At the second school she tried, however, “They were encouraging, regardless of your size, your gender,” Krzywada said. “They loved their career, and they wanted all of us to love it too.”
Kryzwada said her choice of professions also negatively affected a relationship. “His girl works with chain saws and fire, and he feels a little less of a man,” she said of a former partner.
When their all-woman shift went viral, most of the feedback on social media was positive, but there were some detractors.
“We’d have people going, ‘How are you going to carry my 300-pound husband out of a building over your shoulder when it’s on fire?’ ” Julie Dudley said. “Well, we’re not. And I can tell you that no man in our department is going to do it either.”