For the first time in history, an all-female crew of firefighters came together to work in Florida. The trailblazing women teamed up to serve together for the Palm Beach Gardens Fire Rescue on September 18th, a first for the department, which was founded back in 1963. And making that date even more symbolic? Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneer for gender equality, passed away the very same day.
“We’re breaking barriers,” says rescue lieutenant Krystyna Heiser Krakowski, who led the heroines. “It’s the first time we had in our department a female as a captain, a driver, a firefighter, rescue lieutenant and a medic.”
It’s not surprising that there hadn’t been an all-female crew working together there before, since women only make up 3.3% of all firefighters in the U.S. Another team of women made history in June by becoming the first all-female Pasadena Fire Department crew in their 133-year history.
The female firefighting crew in Florida are hoping to inspire young women everywhere with their team in a male-dominated profession. “We can do anything, we are capable of doing anything,” Krakowski points out, “don’t let anyone stop you.”
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