Nearly 40 women interested in pursuing a career in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) or serving their community as a firefighter or paramedic attended the ‘Future Women in EMS and Fire’ workshop in Seattle on Oct. 26 and 27.
The King County Fire Chiefs Association and King County EMS are committed to improving diversity in fire departments and EMS, and are actively recruiting women to join the workforce. The goal of this two-day workshop, which was designed by women for women, is to educate, clarify, and provide support for women in the hiring process.
Workshop participants spent a weekend exploring the world of fire and EMS, learning CPR and firefighting tasks, watching demonstrations and participating in hands-on training. Participants heard from women from various agencies around the county during discussion panels.
Workshops are held biannually at designated locations throughout King County. Over 70 women from the region have participated in past workshops, some of whom are now working full-time in this career.
The Seattle Fire Department hosted the October workshop. Women firefighters and paramedics from Shoreline Fire Department, King County Medic One, Redmond Fire Department, Renton Regional Fire Authority, Valley Regional Fire Authority, Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority, Tukwila Fire Department, Bothell Fire Department and Kirkland Fire Department volunteered their time to work at the event.